ALBAWABA - Israeli planes attacked the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, which was the only Catholic church in the surrounded area. On Friday, Pope Leo XIV called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to voice his great worry and repeat his call for a halt.
The strike happened early Thursday morning and killed three people and hurt at least ten more, including Father Gabriel Romanelli, the church priest. The Vatican called the situation in Gaza "tragic," pointing out that children, the old, and the sick are suffering a lot.
The Vatican said in a news release that the Pope, who was speaking from his home in Castel Gandolfo, strongly told Netanyahu to work for peace and protect places of worship. The statement said, "The Holy Father stressed again how important it is to protect places of worship, the faithful, and everyone in Palestine and Israel."
The call came after the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem made a strong plea for world leaders to "raise their voices" and move quickly to stop what it called a "unjustified human and moral tragedy."
At the same time, the White House revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump had also talked to Netanyahu after what was called a "negative reaction" to the news of the church bombing. It is said that Trump talked to Netanyahu about what happened, which made the Israeli leader say that the attack on the Catholic spot was a "mistake."
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said that Netanyahu told the president that the bombing wasn't done on purpose and that he was sorry for the deaths of civilians.
The event has caused anger around the world, putting more pressure on Israel to protect civilians and start up new diplomacy efforts to end the 21-month-long war. Pope Leo's repeated pleas show the Vatican's moral stance on the need for peace, protecting religious freedom, and keeping people's respect in times of conflict.
