‘A mistake’ says Netanyahu after Israel bombed Gaza church Pope Francis called daily

Israel has described the bombing of Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Church, the very church the late Pope Francis used to call daily, as “a mistake.” 

In a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu said he expressed “deep regret” over the attack that killed three Palestinians and wounded ten others, including the church’s priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, the same priest Pope Francis used to speak with directly each evening during the early months of the war. 

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The Holy Family Church in Gaza City, one of the last remaining Catholic institutions in the enclave, was a vital refuge for the Strip’s Christian community. Before his passing, Pope Francis spoke daily with Father Romanelli, receiving direct updates on the impact of Israel’s military aggression.

Israel’s attack on the church drew swift international condemnation. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the attack “unacceptable”, while France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot denounced it as “intolerable” and expressed solidarity with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The strike comes amid mounting concerns about Israel’s systematic targeting of religious institutions and communities, particularly Christians. In the occupied West Bank, Christian leaders have reported a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers against churches. Earlier this week, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, accused settlers of setting fire to land near a 5th century church and a cemetery in the Christian town of Taybeh.

“These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community and to the historic and religious heritage of this land,” said Theophilos during a visit to the area, where he was joined by fellow clerics and diplomats. He condemned the failure of Israeli authorities to respond to emergency calls and warned that the rising violence was prompting Christians to emigrate.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, warned that fears over Israel’s ethnic cleansing is pushing young Christians to leave. “The temptation to emigrate is there because of the situation,” he said. “This time it’s very difficult to see how and when this will finish.”

According to human rights groups including B’Tselem, settler violence across the West Bank has escalated sharply since Israel launched its genocide in late 2023. Attacks on Christian and Muslim communities have increasingly been carried out with impunity. 

READ: Christian leaders call on Vatican to act as settler violence escalates in West Bank