The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged reports of damage to Gaza's sole Catholic church and launched an investigation Thursday, with military officials expressing regret over the alleged tank strike that seriously wounded four people including Father Gabriel Romanelli.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged awareness of reports regarding damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene, stating that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under review.
Israel's Foreign Ministry released a statement expressing deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty. "Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians," it said on X.
The Foreign Ministry indicated that the IDF is examining the incident, noting that the circumstances remain unclear and promising that investigation results will be published transparently.
Vatican News reported that the church was hit by tank fire, with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, confirming that two of the wounded individuals remain in life-threatening condition following the strike on the religious facility.
"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," Cardinal Pizzaballa told Vatican News. "There are four people seriously wounded, among these four, two are in very dramatic conditions and their lives are in serious danger."
Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, was among those wounded in the attack, along with other individuals who were present inside the church building at the time of the strike, according to Vatican News.
"There are also other injured but less problematic, among them also the Parish Priest, because they were all in the Church," the Cardinal explained during his interview with Vatican News.
Communication challenges in Gaza have complicated efforts to gather complete information about the incident, Cardinal Pizzaballa noted, explaining that he would attempt to obtain additional details as soon as possible.
"We don't have complete information about what has happened in Gaza today because the communication in Gaza is not that simple," he said.
