Donald Trump demands answers over tank strike on Gaza’s only Catholic Church

Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to release a statement declaring the tank attack that killed three people a ‘tragedy’ after Donald Trump called him demanding answers.

Parish Priest of the Holy Family Father Gabriel Romanelli, a friend of the late Pope Francis, was injured in the strike. Picture: AFP.

Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel “deeply regrets” the loss of life in a strike on Gaza’s only Catholic Church that killed three people, declaring the deaths “a tragedy.”

The Israeli Prime Minister said in a statement the strikes were a mistake, after a furious Donald Trump called him demanding an explanation for the hit that injured 10 people, including a friend of the late Pope Francis.

Mr Netanyahu said “stray ammunition” had hit the Holy Family Church, adding: “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.”

An investigation was underway and Israel was “committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,” he said.

Mr Trump’s reaction to the strike was “not positive”, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, adding that Mr Netanyahu had agreed to issue a statment after the call.

“It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic Church, that’s what the prime minister relayed to the president,” Ms Leavitt said.

The Israeli shell slammed into the compound of the Holy Family Catholic Church Thursday morning (5.30pm Thursday AEST), where hundreds of displaced Palestinians and disabled people had been sheltering during the war.

In a telegram of condolences for the victims, Pope Leo called for an immediate ceasefire and expressed “his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region.”

The Pope said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack,″ and expressed his closeness to the wounded priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, and the entire parish.

Christian Palestinian mourners bid farewell to Saad Salameh and Foumia Ayyad, killed in the strike. Picture; AFP.

Father Romanelli, who spoke regularly with Francis on the phone, was treated in a tented area at Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, and photographed with a bandage around his lower leg.

The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, which has jurisdiction for Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus, condemned the strike and said it “destroyed large parts of the complex”.

“Targeting a holy site currently sheltering approximately 600 displaced persons, the majority of whom are children and 54 with special needs, is a flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war,” it said in a statement.

Israel expressed “deep sorrow” over the damage and civilian casualties.

Pope Leo Pope Leo said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the strike. Picture: Tiziana Fabi Via AP

“Targeting a holy site currently sheltering approximately 600 displaced persons, the majority of whom are children and 54 with special needs, is a flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war,” it said in a statement.

The patriarchate named the dead as Najwa Abu Daoud, Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh and Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad.

Israel expressed “deep sorrow” over the damage and civilian casualties.

“The IDF is examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently,” the foreign ministry said on X.

“Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians.”

Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty.
The IDF is examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently.
Israel never…

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) July 17, 2025

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News the church was hit “directly” by a tank.

“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 … there are also other injured but less problematic, among them also the parish priest, because they were all in the 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.”

Since the early days of the war, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Compound, where some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge.

A view of the damage to the Holy Family church in Gaza City. Picture: AFP

Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the head of Catholic charity l’Oeuvre d’Orient, said the strike was “totally unacceptable”.

“It is a place of worship. It is a Catholic Church known for its peaceful attitude, for being a peacemaker. These are people who are at the service of the population,” he said.

“There was no strategic objective, there were no jihadists in this church. There were families, there were civilians. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn in the strongest possible terms this attitude on the part of Israel.”

AFP, AFP