Fr. Romanelli, the only Catholic pastor of Gaza, among the injured after an Israeli attack

The Church of the Sagrada Familia de Gaza has been reached this morning by an air attack in the middle of a new wave of Israeli bombings that have left several injured, including Argentine pastor Gabriel Romanelli.

This has been confirmed by the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem in an official statement issued Thursday. The attack has left two dead, as Cáritas Jerusalem confirmed.

This is Saad Salameh, 60, a janitor of the parish, who was in the courtyard at the time of the explosion; And from Small Ayyad, 84, who was sitting inside a psychosocial support store in Cáritas when the explosion launched shrapnel and caused the fall of rubble in the area.

According to the diary of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), Happen, Father Romanelli suffered injuries in one leg and was hospitalized, although his condition does not seem critical.

The parish building, the only Catholic temple of the Gaza Strip, became the beginning of the war in an impromptu shelter where more than 500 people now live. Most are orthodox, Protestant and Catholic Christians, but also serves as a refuge for more than 50 Muslim children with disabilities with their families.

For weeks, the 541 refugees in the parish complex endured daily the rumble of the bombs falling into the surroundings, especially in the residential neighborhood of Al-Zaytun, in the city of Gaza.

Despite the situation of insecurity, the priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) has remained in Gaza in recent months accompanying the local Catholic community in the midst of the conflict. In 2023 he was evacuated to Jerusalem, but decided to return in a gesture that proves his pastoral commitment and spiritual resistance.

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has condemned what happened. “Israeli attacks on Gaza also hit the Church of the Sagrada Familia,” he has written in his profile of the social network X. “The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months have been unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,” he added.

Another attack in December 2023

In any case, it is not the first time that the parish of the Holy Family, which has been a point of humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the war in October 2023, has been attacked. In December of that same year, two women died from the shots of an Israeli sniper inside the enclosure.

In addition, seven people were injured during the shooting that reached several of the Gazatis. On that occasion, the patriarchy of Jerusalem condemned the attack on “cold blood” in the perimeter of the parish, where there was “any combatant.”

This new attack on a place of cult poses new concerns about the situation of civilians and religious communities trapped in the conflict. The Catholic Church in the Holy Land has repeatedly requested respect for sacred places and the protection of the civilian population, without distinction of Creed.

The Latin patriarchy is expected to issue more information in the next few hours after confirming the details of the attack.

A United Nations delegation made a surprise visit to La Parroquia on July 1, the only Catholic Church of Latin Rite in Gaza, which welcomes hundreds of people displaced by war.

According to the Servizio Informazione Religiosa (Sir), the news agency of the Italian Episcopal Conference, representatives of the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office (Ocha) visited the temple to evaluate the current situation there.

The Catholic enclave received special attention from the late Pope Francis, who called P. Romanelli every day. The last call made to the parish It was two days before he died, on April 21.