Overview

• The Israel Defense Forces concluded on July 22 that a stray munition deviated off course and accidentally struck the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, killing three people and wounding nine.
• Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III publicly questioned the probe’s conclusions, saying they found no clear evidence to prove the incident was unintentional.
• Church leaders returned from Gaza reporting extreme hunger and severe shortages of food, water, medicine and shelter that they described as morally unacceptable.
• A 500-tonne aid shipment announced by the Italian foreign ministry remains blocked by logistical obstacles at the border, leaving relief deliveries stalled.
• Clerics pressed world and regional authorities to secure an immediate ceasefire and establish unimpeded humanitarian corridors to protect civilians and holy sites.