Two of the most senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem made a rare visit to war-torn Gaza on Friday, a day after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory’s only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation.The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, greeted local Christians and toured the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.Both men, in full black clerical robes in the searing heat, arrived in two battered people carriers, one with the yellow, white and cross-keys flag of the Vatican fluttering from the front window, before heading inside.”The Patriarchs met with families who have sought shelter there. They offered condolences, conveyed pastoral encouragement, and personally observed the damage sustained by the church during the recent strike,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.At the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, they “offered words of comfort and solidarity” to the displaced, in a visit the Greek Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate called a “powerful expression” of church unity.Israel strictly controls access to Gaza, where the civil defence agency on Friday reported that further Israeli strikes killed more than 30 people, including nine aid seekers near the city of Rafah in the south.The agency said an airstrike killed six members of the same family in Khan Yunis, also in the south, where locals used their bare hands to pick through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors.Louai Abu Sahloul, a relative of the victims, said the relentless wave of strikes was taking its toll. “People are like walking dead, tired of hunger, pain and destruction everywhere in Gaza,” he told AFP.The Israeli military told AFP it “struck a terror infrastructure site belonging to Hamas in the Khan Yunis area” and had taken steps to mitigate the risk to civilians.It was “not aware” of the incident near Rafah, it added.- ‘Stop the needless slaughter’ – The two Jerusalem church leaders said aid agencies helped facilitate the “full pastoral visit”, which also involved the delivery of food supplies and emergency medical equipment, and medical evacuation of the injured.Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Catholic Church, said he was “deeply saddened” by Thursday’s strike on the church, where hundreds of displaced people were sheltering, including children and those with special needs.His predecessor, Pope Francis, kept in regular contact with parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli and repeatedly called for an end to the Gaza war.Romanelli was one of 10 people wounded.The Vatican said the pope called Pizzaballa on Friday morning to ask about the situation in Gaza and the condition of wounded, including Romanelli.”He expressed his support and affection to the entire community gathered around the parish and those suffering from the violence, and reiterated his intention to do everything possible to stop the needless slaughter of innocents,” a statement read.The pontiff also spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed concern about the “dramatic humanitarian situation”, renewing his appeal for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war.Netanyahu’s office said he voiced Israel’s regret, calling it a “tragic incident” and blaming it on “stray ammunition”.He also updated the pope on Israeli efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal at talks in Qatar, saying their “efforts… have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas”.In a video broadcast on Friday, Abu Obaida, a spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in turn said Israel was blocking agreement, threatening the initial release of 10 hostages.- Holy sites -Pizzaballa, whose office said he was expected to remain in Gaza until Sunday, and Theophilos III lead congregations across Israel and the Palestinian Territories.Out of the Gaza Strip’s population of more than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.Israel’s military says it does not deliberately target churches and religious sites. But the Jerusalem Patriarchate said there had been “repeated assaults on Christian holy sites in Gaza”.The war was sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Israel’s military retaliation has killed at least 58,667 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The UN considers these figures to be reliable.burs-phz/dcp
Two of the most senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem made a rare visit to war-torn Gaza on Friday, a day after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory’s only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation.The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, greeted local Christians and toured the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.Both men, in full black clerical robes in the searing heat, arrived in two battered people carriers, one with the yellow, white and cross-keys flag of the Vatican fluttering from the front window, before heading inside.”The Patriarchs met with families who have sought shelter there. They offered condolences, conveyed pastoral encouragement, and personally observed the damage sustained by the church during the recent strike,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.At the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, they “offered words of comfort and solidarity” to the displaced, in a visit the Greek Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate called a “powerful expression” of church unity.Israel strictly controls access to Gaza, where the civil defence agency on Friday reported that further Israeli strikes killed more than 30 people, including nine aid seekers near the city of Rafah in the south.The agency said an airstrike killed six members of the same family in Khan Yunis, also in the south, where locals used their bare hands to pick through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors.Louai Abu Sahloul, a relative of the victims, said the relentless wave of strikes was taking its toll. “People are like walking dead, tired of hunger, pain and destruction everywhere in Gaza,” he told AFP.The Israeli military told AFP it “struck a terror infrastructure site belonging to Hamas in the Khan Yunis area” and had taken steps to mitigate the risk to civilians.It was “not aware” of the incident near Rafah, it added.- ‘Stop the needless slaughter’ – The two Jerusalem church leaders said aid agencies helped facilitate the “full pastoral visit”, which also involved the delivery of food supplies and emergency medical equipment, and medical evacuation of the injured.Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Catholic Church, said he was “deeply saddened” by Thursday’s strike on the church, where hundreds of displaced people were sheltering, including children and those with special needs.His predecessor, Pope Francis, kept in regular contact with parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli and repeatedly called for an end to the Gaza war.Romanelli was one of 10 people wounded.The Vatican said the pope called Pizzaballa on Friday morning to ask about the situation in Gaza and the condition of wounded, including Romanelli.”He expressed his support and affection to the entire community gathered around the parish and those suffering from the violence, and reiterated his intention to do everything possible to stop the needless slaughter of innocents,” a statement read.The pontiff also spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed concern about the “dramatic humanitarian situation”, renewing his appeal for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war.Netanyahu’s office said he voiced Israel’s regret, calling it a “tragic incident” and blaming it on “stray ammunition”.He also updated the pope on Israeli efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal at talks in Qatar, saying their “efforts… have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas”.In a video broadcast on Friday, Abu Obaida, a spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in turn said Israel was blocking agreement, threatening the initial release of 10 hostages.- Holy sites -Pizzaballa, whose office said he was expected to remain in Gaza until Sunday, and Theophilos III lead congregations across Israel and the Palestinian Territories.Out of the Gaza Strip’s population of more than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.Israel’s military says it does not deliberately target churches and religious sites. But the Jerusalem Patriarchate said there had been “repeated assaults on Christian holy sites in Gaza”.The war was sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Israel’s military retaliation has killed at least 58,667 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The UN considers these figures to be reliable.burs-phz/dcp
