Overview

• The strike on Gaza’s Holy Family church killed three displaced civilians and wounded dozens, including the parish priest and an Avvenire journalist.
• Pope Leo XIV condemned the attack as a “barbarity of war” during his address at Castel Gandolfo and urged an immediate ceasefire.
• Cardinal Pietro Parolin voiced “legitimate doubts” over Israel’s claim that the church was hit accidentally and suggested the site may have been targeted deliberately.
• Cardinal Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III visited the damaged church as Vatican envoys pressed Prime Minister Netanyahu for answers.
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called Israel’s mass evacuation orders a “devastating blow” to relief efforts, warning that nearly 90% of Gaza is under evacuation or military occupation.