Deadly airstrike on Gaza Catholic church condemned by Pope Leo
3 people killed at Holy Family Church, among dozens of dead overall from Israeli strikes in Gaza
Israeli forces killed at least 27 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including three people who died in a strike on a church that the late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly, medics and church officials said.
Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in airstrikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha.
Two women and one man died and several people were wounded in a strike by the Israeli army on Gaza's Holy Family Church, said the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the small parish.
"The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place," a statement by the Patriarchate said, adding that the victims had turned to the church compound as a safe haven "after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away."
"This horrific war must come to a complete end," it said.
Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken.
In a telegram for the victims, Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened" and called for "an immediate ceasefire."
The Pope expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region," according to the telegram, which was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said they were "aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review."
"The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them," the statement added.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X that the results of the investigation would be published. It also said the country did not target churches or religious sites and regretted harm to them or civilians.
Italy's Meloni slams Israel
The Patriarchate earlier said the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was among those injured, and his church had sustained damage.
Romanelli, an Argentine, used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via calls and messages. Reuters footage from the hospital showed him to be lightly injured, with a bandaged left leg but able to walk.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the strike on the religious compound.
"The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," she said in a statement.
Palestinian medics said one airstrike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and that another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks.
Three people were killed in an airstrike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said.