According to the United States, Netanyahu acknowledged that the attack on a Catholic church in Gaza “was a mistake”

The White House stated that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, acknowledged that the “attack by the Israeli Armed Forces” against the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip was a mistake, in which three people died and nine others were injured, including Father Gabriel Romanelli.

“It was a mistake for the Israelis to attack that Catholic church. That’s what the prime minister communicated to the president,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press conference.

After learning about the bombing of the Church of the Holy Family located in Gaza City, Trump called Netanyahu. “It was not a positive reaction,” the spokesperson said when asked about the stance of the US president.

Minutes after Leavitt’s statement, the office of the Prime Minister of Israel “deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit” the church. “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful,” reads a brief statement published on his social media profile X.

Netanyahu also thanked Pope Leo XIV “for his words of consolation,” and reiterated that they are investigating “the incident and maintain their commitment to the protection of civilians and holy sites.”

How was the attack by Israel on the Catholic church in Gaza?

The Civil Defense of Gaza pointed out that there were about 400 displaced people in the church who had sought refuge in the facilities before the attack, while the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed that among the injured is Father Gabriel Romanelli, close to the late Pope Francis.

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say it was a mistake, but we are not sure. The church has been directly hit,” said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, as reported by Vatican News.

Caritas Jerusalem specified that the incident took place around 10:10 am (local time) and detailed that the location was “a sanctuary for displaced civilians.” “The explosion took place near the cross on the church’s roof, spreading shrapnel and debris throughout the courtyard,” they stated in a Facebook post.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his “deep sadness” for the “loss of lives and the wounded due to the military attack” against the church and made a new call for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, according to a telegram published by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.