Religious leaders condemn attack on church in Gaza

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Religious and ecclesiastical leaders in Jerusalem joined forces on Friday to condemn the "atrocious Israeli attack" that left three people dead at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza on Thursday, and called for an end to the war.

“ We call on world leaders and United Nations agencies to work for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that will lead to the end of this war,” the patriarchs of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Churches said in a statement, echoing the Latin Patriarch’s message of condemnation on Thursday.

"Our prayers and support remain steadfast, calling for justice, peace and an end to the suffering that has befallen the people of Gaza ," the statement added, noting that places of worship are protected by international humanitarian law and must not be bombed.

At the time of the attack, at 10:20 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. in Lisbon) on Thursday, there were more than 400 homeless people in the church, including children and people with special needs.

The attack left at least three people dead and several injured, including the parish priest, Argentine Gabriel Romanelli, whom Pope Francis called every day since the beginning of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip and until shortly before his death on April 21.

Last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented that "a stray round" from the Israeli army had hit the church and stated that "every innocent life lost is a tragedy," in a message sent after a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.

The ongoing war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel, which left around 1,200 dead and more than two hundred hostages.

Israel's retaliation has already resulted in more than 58,000 deaths, the destruction of almost all of Gaza's infrastructure, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.