Christian patriarchs make rare visit to Gaza after strike on church

Deir al-Balah: Top church leaders visited Gaza on Friday after its only Catholic church was struck by an Israeli shell the day before, an attack that killed three people and wounded ten, including a priest who had developed a close friendship with the late Pope Francis.

The strike drew condemnation from the pope and US President Donald Trump, and prompted a statement of regret from Israel, which said it was a mistake. Since ending a ceasefire in March, Israel has regularly launched far deadlier strikes across Gaza against what it says are Hamas militants, frequently killing women and children. Strikes killed 18 people overnight, health officials said Friday.

Pope Leo XVI meanwhile renewed his call for negotiations to bring an end to the 21-month war in a phone call Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Vatican said.

The religious delegation to Gaza included two Patriarchs from Jerusalem — Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III.

The rare visit aimed to express the “shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land”, a statement said.

Israel has heavily restricted access to Gaza since the start of the war, though church leaders have entered on previous occasions, usually to mark major holidays. They visited the Holy Family Catholic Church, whose compound was damaged in the shelling.

They were also organising convoys carrying hundreds of tons of food, medical supplies and other equipment to the territory.