The Israeli military says its forces “accidentally” hit Gaza‘s only Catholic church last week, following a probe into the strike that killed three people and injured nine others, including a parish priest who was a close friend of the late Pope Francis.
The deadly strike July 17 drew international condemnation, including from the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV calling for an end to the “barbarity of war.”
President Donald Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the mortar strike, with his administration calling for an investigation.
“Everyone is appalled,” White House spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at the time.
Netanyahu’s office subsequently expressed regret over the strike, while the Israeli military said it would conduct an investigation.
On Wednesday, it announced that the southern command had completed its inquiry the day before, determining that troops had struck the church “due to an unintentional deviation of munitions,” in line with its preliminary statement that the strike was accidental.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged that the impact of the strike “caused damage to the structure” of the church and “injured several Gazan civilians.” It did not acknowledge that three people were killed in the incident, according to church officials. The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on why the fatalities were not mentioned.
In an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper shortly after the strike, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed doubts over Israel’s initial statements which called the incident a mistake.
“We are not a target. They say it was an error. Even if everybody here believes it wasn’t,” Pizzaballa said.
Francis had made near-nightly calls to the Holy Family Church throughout the war in Gaza and up until the days before his death in April, speaking with parish priest, Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, who was injured in last week’s attack.
The IDF said adjustments had been made to “improve the accuracy of fire” during the operation in which the church was struck — and that following the incident, “guidelines for opening fire near religious buildings, shelters, and other sensitive sites were further clarified.” Asked for further information on what adjustments had been made and how guidelines were further clarified, an IDF spokesperson would not elaborate beyond the initial statement.
Throughout the war in Gaza, civilians have frequently been killed in strikes impacting civilian buildings and shelters, including religious sites.
Last week’s incident was also not the first time the Holy Family Church has come under attack. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem accused Israeli forces of fatally shooting a woman and her daughter as they walked inside its grounds in December 2023.
Francis condemned the attack at the time. Israeli officials denied responsibility.
The IDF sought to emphasize Wednesday that it had facilitated the transfer of aid to the Holy Family Church, in addition to coordinating the visit of a delegation on behalf of the Greek and Latin patriarchs, who were accompanied by a group of Christian clergy. Pizzaballa was among those to make the rare and dangerous trip, with Israel having sealed off the enclave to visits from foreign officials.
The IDF’s completion of its probe and the release of its findings were markedly swift, with the military still to release the results of a growing number of investigations since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched its assault following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
Since then, more than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave, while much of the territory has been destroyed.
