Israeli Shell Hits Gaza’s Holy Family Church, Killing Three and Injuring Priest Amid Global Outcry

It was July 17, 2025, when an Israeli artillery shell struck the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City—Gaza's sole Catholic parish—killing three civilians and wounding at least ten others, including Father Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentinian priest, who had been receiving near-daily telephone calls from the late Pope Francis since October 2023. Among the three fatalities were Saad Salameh, the church janitor; Fumayya Ayyad, an 84-year-old woman who had sought shelter in a Caritas tent; and Najwa Abu Daoud, aged 69. Dozens of displaced Palestinians, children and people with disabilities among them, had fled to the church compound when the explosion left the church roof and walls severely damaged.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a rare apology, stating: "Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy," and ordered an investigation into the accident. The apology followed direct censure by U.S. President Donald Trump, who "voiced displeasure" and asked for an official statement confirming the attack was a mistake. World leaders like Pope Leo XIV, who appealed for a ceasefire to be resumed immediately, and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who condemned attacks on civilian sites, reaffirmed calls to protect places of worship and civilians.