Gaza (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Israeli defence forces attacks killed around 22 people in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and several were injured in an attack on a church that the late Pope Francis used to address regularly, medics and church officials stated.
How did Italian PM Giorgia Meloni respond to attacks?What role did Father Romanelli play in Gaza?Who was sheltering inside the Gaza church?How did Israeli forces respond to the attack?How many civilians have died in the conflict?
Several individuals were injured during a morning “raid” at the Holy Family Church, including parish priest Gabriel Romanelli. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement about the happening at Gaza’s only Catholic church.
How did Italian PM Giorgia Meloni respond to attacks?
The incident drew denunciation from the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. In a comment, Meloni stated:
“The Israeli raids on Gaza have also hit the Holy Family church. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude.”
What role did Father Romanelli play in Gaza?
Father Romanelli, an Argentine, used to speak with the late Pope Francis regarding the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation regularly. Before his demise in April, the former pope would call Romanelli, an Argentinian, every evening to examine the fighting in Gaza. He started the role on 9 October 2023, two days after the raids on Israel by Hamas, as a way to convey solidarity during the war.
Who was sheltering inside the Gaza church?
According to reports, the church was providing shelter to both Christians and Muslims, including several children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of al-Ahli Arab Hospital, which received the wounded.
What were the consequences of Thursday’s airstrikes?
Naem reported that at least two individuals remained in critical condition. The other injured included a child with disabilities, two women, and an elderly person. Dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured during Israeli airstrikes across multiple areas of the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Among the victims, four were killed in an attack on a home near the Imam al-Shafi’i school in al-Zeitoun, a district south-east of Gaza City.
Palestinian medics reported that one airstrike on Thursday killed a man, his wife, and their five children in Jabalia, northern Gaza. Another strike in the north resulted in the deaths of eight men responsible for guarding aid trucks.
How did Israeli forces respond to the attack?
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated it was looking into the attack.
“The IDF is aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review,”
it stated.
“The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them.”
How many civilians have died in the conflict?
Israel has been attempting to destroy Hamas in Gaza in a military operation that started after the group’s fatal raid on Israel in October 2023 and has induced widespread hunger and deprivation in the small enclave. Israel’s drive in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Nearly 1,650 Israelis and foreign citizens have also been killed as a consequence of the dispute, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas raid, according to Israeli calculations.
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