The two women involved this morning in the Israeli raids on the church of the Holy Family in Gaza, who at first from sources close to the patriarchate had been considered death as “they did not give signs of life”, are injured and now “hospitalized after being revived. I am still in danger of life and we do not know if they will make it », explain to the ANSA, sources close to Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem. In total therefore, There are 8 wounded: the two women, two seriously injured men and 4 others less serious including the parish priest, Don Gabriel Romanelli.
The parish currently hosts about 500 churned Christian.
According to Ansa, from sources close to the patriarchate of Jerusalem, Israel would have justified himself by stating that it would be “a shooting error”. Premier Giorgia Meloni also intervened on the matter: «The Israeli raids on Gaza also affect the church of the Holy Family. Attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude ».
It is not the first time that the Catholic community of the Striscia – whose parish priest received Pope Francis’s phone call every evening – was attacked. Already in December 2023, the parish ended up in the sights of the army when a sniper had shot on the crowd in the courtyard. In that circumstance, two women – Nahida Khalil Anton and Samar Kamal Antonmother and daughter – had been killed.
The attack, like the previous incursion to the Orthodox parish of San Basilio where 18 people had died, had caused strong international indignation. Pope Francis also intervened hard to condemn the raid and denouncing that “deflected civilians” were “the subject of bombings and shots. And this, “said the Pope,” it even took place in the parish complex of the Holy Family where there are no terrorists, but families, children, sick people and disabilities, nuns (…) Someone says: “It is terrorism, it is war”. Yes, it is war, it is terrorism. For this reason, writing states that “God makes wars cease … breaks the arches and breaks the spears”.
