The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip, was hit by a tank this morning, seriously injuring four people. Others were reportedly wounded more lightly, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that two of the injured persons are at risk of death:
“What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church”, he said. “There are four people seriously wounded, among these four, two are in very dramatic conditions and their lives are in serious danger”.
“There are also other injured but less problematic, among them also the Parish Priest, because they were all in the Church”.
“We don’t have complete information about what has happened in Gaza today because the communication in Gaza is not that simple”, he explained, adding he will try to get more information as soon as possible.
Earlier, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem had posted a press release on X confirming the Church was “struck by a raid”. The statement said there are “no fatalities confirmed” at the moment, but the Church has sustained damage.
According to the Catholic press agency SIR, the Holy Family Church is currently hosting around 500 displaced Christians.
Source: vaticannews.va
