An Israeli shell struck Gaza’s only Catholic Church on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring several others, church officials and witnesses said. The attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church, which was sheltering around 600 people, has drawn swift international condemnation and renewed calls for a ceasefire.
Among the wounded was priest Gabriele Romanelli, a close friend of Pope Francis during the final months of the late pontiff’s life, according to church officials.
Pope Leo XIV issued a statement on Thursday through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressing condolences and urging “dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region.”
The church compound in Gaza City was reportedly housing Christians, Muslims, and children with disabilities, said Fadel Naem, acting director of al-Ahli Hospital.
In a rare acknowledgment, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted an apology on social media, saying it “expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also reiterated it does not deliberately target religious sites and expressed regret over the harm.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein echoed that message, expressing regret for the harm caused to the church and those sheltering there.
Elsewhere in Gaza on Thursday, another person was killed and 17 were injured when two schools sheltering displaced people in the al-Bureij refugee camp were hit, according to al-Awda Hospital.
Meanwhile, in Bogota, a coalition of 12 countries announced measures aimed at holding Israel accountable for alleged abuses in Gaza.
The group — including Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa — pledged to block arms transfers to Israel and support universal jurisdiction mandates to prosecute international crimes.
“We came to Bogota to make history,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said. “And we did.”
British MP Jeremy Corbyn, who attended the meeting, said the measures were “real collective action to stop this genocide, uphold international law, and say to the people of Palestine: you are not alone.”
The group, known as the Hague Group, set a September 20 deadline for other nations to join their commitment, aligning it with the opening of the next United Nations General Assembly session.
The incidents in Gaza and the international response have further intensified scrutiny of the ongoing military campaign and its toll on civilians and religious sanctuaries alike.