Two of the most senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem made a rare visit to Gaza on Friday, a day after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory's only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation.
The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, greeted local Christians and toured the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.
Both men, in full black clerical robes in the searing heat, arrived in two battered people carriers, one with the yellow, white and cross-keys flag of the Vatican fluttering from the front window, before heading inside.
They also said prayers and lit candles at the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, in a visit the Greek Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate called a "powerful expression" of church unity and solidarity.
Israel strictly controls access to the territory, where the civil defense agency on Friday reported that further Israeli strikes killed at least 25 Palestinians, including a family of five in their own home.
Local people used their bare hands to pick through the debris in the southern city of Khan Yunis in a desperate search for survivors.
"Entire families are buried under the rubble," Louai Abu Sahloul, a relative of the victims, told AFP, adding that the relentless wave of strikes was taking its toll.
"People are like walking dead, tired of hunger, pain and destruction everywhere in Gaza," he said.
Asked about the strike, the Israeli military told AFP it "struck a terror infrastructure site belonging to Hamas in the Khan Yunis area" and had taken steps to mitigate the risk to civilians.
'Stop the Needless Slaughter'
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Patriarchate said aid agencies helped facilitate the visit, which also involved the delivery of food supplies and emergency medical equipment.
Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Catholic Church, said he was "deeply saddened" by Thursday's strike on the church, where hundreds of displaced people were sheltering, including children and those with special needs.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, kept in regular contact with parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli and repeatedly called for an end to the Gaza war.
Romanelli was one of 10 people injured and was seen with bandages on his leg.
The Vatican said the pope called Pizzaballa on Friday morning to ask about the situation in Gaza and the condition of Romanelli and the other wounded.
"He expressed his support and affection to the entire community gathered around the parish and those suffering from the violence and reiterated his intention to do everything possible to stop the needless slaughter of innocents," a statement read.
The pontiff also spoke with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed concern about the "dramatic humanitarian situation," renewing his appeal for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war.
A spokesman at Netanyahu's office told AFP the conversation was "friendly," and the prime minister expressed his regret at the strike, which Israel has blamed on a "stray" round.
'Mistake'
US President Donald Trump called Netanyahu after having "not a positive reaction" on hearing about the strike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church; that's what the prime minister relayed to the president," she told reporters.
The two Jerusalem church leaders, whose jurisdiction spreads across Israel and the Palestinian territories, said they had ensured the medical evacuation of those injured.
Out of the Gaza Strip's population of more than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.
Israel's military maintains that it does not deliberately target churches and religious sites.
But the Jerusalem Patriarchate said there had been "repeated assaults on Christian holy sites in Gaza."
The war was sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's military retaliation has killed at least 58,667 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The UN considers these figures to be reliable.
AFP
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