Israeli Tank Strikes Gaza’s Only Catholic Church, Killing Three and Injuring a Priest

At least eight others were also wounded, including a young altar server

by Dave DeCamp | Jul 17, 2025

https://news.antiwar.com/2025/07/17/israeli-tank-strikes-gazas-only-catholic-church-killing-three-and-injuring-a-priest/

An Israeli military tank on Thursday struck the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City, killing three people and wounding at least nine others.

Two of the dead have been identified as Saad Salameh, the parish’s 60-year-old janitor, and Fumayya Ayyad, an 84-year-old woman who was receiving psychosocial support from the Catholic charity Caritas in a tent located at the church.

Among the wounded was Father Gabriel Romanelli, the church’s priest from Argentina, who regularly held phone calls with the late Pope Francis. Suhail Shadi Abu Dawoud, a young altar server, was also wounded in the attack, according to the Church’s Facebook page.

“The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary—hoping that the horrors of war might at least spare their lives, after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement on the attack.

“The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place. However, this tragedy is not greater or more terrible than the many others that have befallen Gaza. Many other innocent civilians have also been harmed, displaced and killed. Death, suffering and destruction are everywhere,” the Patriarchate added.

Pope Leo XIV also released a statement on the attack. “I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza,” he said. “I renew my call for an immediate ceasefire. Only dialogue and reconciliation can ensure enduring peace!”

The Israeli military claimed that the strike was an accident, but the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, cast doubt on the IDF statement. “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. “We don’t have complete information about what has happened in Gaza today because the communication in Gaza is not that simple.”

Sources close to the Patriarchate told The Pillar that internally, Church authorities were considering the possibility that the tank attack was a direct response to a recent meeting of Christian leaders in the West Bank town of Taybeh on Monday. Taybeh is a Christian village that’s been under Jewish settler attack, and Pizzaballa and other church leaders released a statement strongly condemning the violence and calling out Israeli authorities for “facilitating and enabling” the violent settlers.

Later on Thursday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put out a statement saying that “Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church.” According to a report from Axios, the statement was released after President Trump spoke with Netanyahu. The report said Trump was upset about the strike, and Netanyahu told him it was an accident. Trump then told the Israeli leader to put out a statement saying that.

The Holy Family Church is Gaza’s sole Catholic church and has previously come under attack by Israeli forces. In December 2024, two Christian women at the church were killed and seven people were wounded by Israeli snipers, an incident Pope Francis condemned as “terrorism.”

The IDF has also attacked the nearby St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church. In October 2023,  an Israeli strike killed 18 Palestinian civilians who were sheltering at St. Porphyrius, including relatives of former House Rep. Justin Amash.

A funeral was held on Thursday at the St. Porphyrius Church for Saad Salameh and Fumayya Ayyadon, who were both Orthodox Christians. “May the souls of the victims rest in eternal peace and may the Lord grant you all His Peace,” the Latin Patriarchate said in its statement.

Despite his injuries, Father Romanelli held Mass at the Holy Family Church later in the day for the repose of the souls of those killed in the attack.