Holy Family Church in Gaza struck

News is just reaching us that the Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck this morning, tragically killing two people and leaving many injured. 

The injured included the Parish Priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli, who we welcomed to Glasgow in April 2024. Among those killed and wounded are people who were inside a Caritas psychosocial support tent at the time of the attack.

Before his death, the late Pope Francis called Fr Romanelli every night to send his best wishes to him, his congregation and the wider community.

This morning at approximately 10.10am, the Holy Family Church in Gaza - a sanctuary for displaced civilians - was struck by a shell, causing injuries and widespread panic among those seeking safety within its grounds.

Our Caritas colleagues have told us that over the past week, Fr Gabriel had been urging people to remain inside their rooms, as intense nearby shelling and military operations had made the area increasingly dangerous. Yesterday, the threat became especially severe due to the presence of Israeli tanks near the church compound and continuous strikes in close proximity. 

One of our Caritas colleagues said:

“If Father Gabriel hadn’t warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today. It would have been a massacre.”

We remain in contact with our team in Gaza and are awaiting updates on the conditions of the wounded.

Please pray for the people of Gaza. Please pray for peace. 

^{Cover photo credit: Caritas Jerusalem}