Christian patriarchs make rare visit to Gaza after deadly Israeli strike on church
Source: Associated Press
Christian patriarchs make rare visit to Gaza after deadly Israeli strike on church
By WAFAA SHURAFA, JULIA FRANKEL and FATMA KHALED
Updated 1:40 PM EDT, July 18, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — 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 10, including a priest who had developed a close friendship with the late Pope Francis.
The strike drew condemnation from the pope and U.S. President Donald Trump, and prompted statements of regret from Israel, which said it was an accident. 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, who offered condolences to the victims.
Church leaders organize aid, evacuations
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.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-palestinians-church-pizzaballa-theophilos-8797732b94777534379f1adc4468cbb9
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