On Thursday morning, the Israeli army attacked the Holy Family Church, the central shelter for Gaza’s Christian community since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, killing three people and injuring several others, including the church’s priest.
The church, which is located directly behind the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, has been attacked by Israel before alongside other churches in Gaza, with previous attacks leaving dozens dead and wounded. According to the Church, more than 400 Christian families have taken refuge in the church during the war.
Among those killed on Thursday were a man in his thirties and an older woman, both members of the Christian community. Other reports indicated that the parish’s 60-year-old janitor was also killed.
Eyhab Ayad, a member of Gaza’s Christian community, spoke from outside the Baptist Hospital as he carried the wounded: “We were safe inside the church — the church that houses the majority of Gaza’s Christian families. Suddenly, a tank shell fell on us. We don’t know why or where it came from. Why does the Israeli army bomb elderly families, mostly women and children, sheltering inside a sacred church that has nothing to do with the fighting?”
Eyhab sits on the ground beside the bodies of the victims, clasping his hands together and saying: “This was a safe place, but it didn’t matter to the Israeli army if it was a church or a mosque — they are bombing everything.”
“The Israeli army doesn’t distinguish between Muslim and Christian in Gaza. As long as we carry Palestinian IDs, we are all potential targets,” he said.
Pointing to the bodies on the ground, Eyhab said, “This is an elderly woman, and this is a peaceful man. They don’t carry weapons. They’re not fighters. They had nothing to do with this war. Why are they being killed in one of the holiest places on earth? Why are they being killed in the house of God?”
Israeli sources quoted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that the shell that struck the Latin Monastery Church had fallen by “mistake”, and that investigations are underway to determine whether it was due to human error or a malfunction in the shell.
Netanyahu expressed “deep regret,” according to Israeli media reports.
Following the attack, Pope Leo XIV renewed his call for a Gaza ceasefire after three people sheltering in the Catholic church in Gaza City were killed in an Israeli strike.
A statement said the Pope was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack” on the Holy Family Church.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal confirmed that emergency crews rushed to the scene to rescue the injured, noting that all religious sites in Gaza — mosques and churches alike — are vulnerable and exposed to Israeli fire. He said this was not the first time the church had been bombed and confirmed it had been struck multiple times before.
Basal also noted the difficulty of reaching the church area due to ongoing shelling in recent days. Still, he said, civil defense teams responded after receiving a distress call from the church. Against all odds, they managed to evacuate several injured individuals and rescue seven people trapped beneath the rubble.
In December 2023, the Latin Patriarchate Church, Gaza’s main Catholic church, was bombed, resulting in the deaths of two Christian women and dozens of injuries among civilians seeking refuge there. Following the attack, the Vatican issued an official statement condemning the shelling and affirming that “houses of worship must be respected and protected.”
The late Pope Francis had been making near-daily phone calls to members of the besieged Christian community inside the church to check on their well-being throughout the genocide. In one such call, he spoke with Father Youssef Asaad, the church’s priest, and several Christian families, expressing deep sorrow and solidarity during their ordeal. He repeatedly asked, “What are you eating? What are you drinking?” to ensure they were okay.
Through these phone calls, Pope Francis conveyed his solidarity not just with Christians but with all residents of Gaza, stressing that “the Church forgets no one,” and that he prays for them daily.
Gaza’s Christian community represents a small but deeply rooted community that holds fast to its cultural and religious heritage and refuses to abandon its ancestral land, even in the face of war and devastation.
Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has reportedly targeted more than 1,200 mosques, damaging them either wholly or partially. More than 600 mosques have been entirely destroyed.
In addition to mosques, churches have also come under attack. The Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius was bombed in October 2023, killing at least 18 Christian civilians. The Latin Patriarchate Church (Holy Family Church) was similarly bombed in December 2023, killing two more Christian civilians.
Today’s renewed targeting adds to the growing list of assaults, underscoring a consistent pattern: in Gaza, all places of worship are under threat, with no distinction between mosque or church, Muslim or Christian.
