An Israeli strike on Gaza’s sole Catholic Church killed three people and injured several others, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the small parish, said on Thursday.
The Patriarchate condemned “this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place,” saying two women and one man had died in the attack on the Holy Family Church.
“This horrific war must come to a complete end,” it said, adding the victims had turned to the church compound as a safe haven “after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away.”
The Holy Family Church spoke in a separate statement of “a number of injured, some in critical condition.”
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 and made no mention of Israel.
