The Israeli army has bombed yet another Christian Church in Gaza, this time the Compound of the Holy Family in Gaza, belonging to the Latin Patriarchate, bringing the number of Christians murdered by such attacks since 2023 to at least 530.
According to a statement issued by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the attack took place at 10:20 a.m. on the morning of July 17, 2025.
“This morning, at approximately 10:20 a.m., the Compound of the Holy Family in Gaza, belonging to the Latin Patriarchate, was struck by the Israeli army. As of this hour, three individuals lost their lives as a result of the injuries sustained and nine others were wounded, including one in critical condition and two in serious condition. The community’s parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, sustained light injuries,” the statement said.
“The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary—hoping that the horrors of war might at least spare their lives, after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away.”
“The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place. However, this tragedy is not greater or more terrible than the many others that have befallen Gaza. Many other innocent civilians have also been harmed, displaced and killed. Death, suffering and destruction are everywhere. The time has come for leaders to raise their voices and to do all what is necessary in order to stop this tragedy which is humanly and morally, unjustified,” the statement added.
This is the third Christian Church which Israel has deliberately bombed in Gaza since October 2023.
The Church of Saint Porphyrius, a Greek Orthodox site, was struck on October 19, 2023, when an airstrike hit the church compound where hundreds were sheltering, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens, with additional strikes reported in July 2024 on the same site, causing destruction to parts of this 5th-century structure, one of the oldest churches in the world.
The Holy Family Church, Gaza’s only Roman Catholic parish, experienced multiple incidents, including:
– an airstrike on November 4, 2023, that damaged a school within the compound;
– a ground attack on December 16, 2023, on the convent where two women were killed by Israeli sniper fire;
– a July 2024 strike on the Holy Family School killing four; and
– a direct bombing on July 17, 2025, where civilians were sheltering, resulting in at least 3 deaths and 9 injuries, including the priest, with the church sustaining repeated damage while serving as a shelter for hundreds.
The Gaza Baptist Church, associated with the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital—an Anglican-run facility part of the Baptist complex—was hit by an Israeli missile on October 17, 2023. Initially, the Israelis perversely claimed that this was caused a Palestinian rocket.
500 people were killed in that attack, with additional damage reported to church facilities in subsequent operations.
These three churches represent the primary Christian places of worship in Gaza, and have all been deliberately targeted as a means of expelling the Christians, along with the Palestinians, from Gaza.
