Caritas mourns civilian deaths in the Holy Family Church in Gaza
The following is a statement from Caritas Internationalis in the wake of an Israeli strike on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, which killed three and injured 10 people sheltering on church grounds.
This church is the only Catholic church in Gaza and has special significance for many in the territory. Pope Francis was in regular personal contact with the parish, often expressing his personal solidarity.
Read the full statement below.
18 July 2025
Caritas Internationalis expresses its deepest sorrow and condolences following the Israeli shelling of the Holy Family Church in Gaza this morning, that killed three people. May they rest in peace!
The attack on the Church of the Holy Family, where displaced civilians were seeking shelter, injured multiple people, some critically, and has tragically claimed the lives of Mr. Saad Salameh, 60, the parish janitor, who was in the yard at the time of the explosion; Mrs. Fumayya Ayyad, 84, who was receiving support in a Caritas psychosocial tent; and Najwa Abu Daoud, 69, who was sitting close to Fumayya when the blast sent shrapnel and debris tearing through the area.
The victims were critically wounded and transported to Al-Mamadani Hospital where, due to the severe lack of medical resources and blood units in Gaza, they tragically passed away.
We are devastated by this latest attack on people who were simply trying to survive and had taken sanctuary in the church. Their deaths are a painful reminder of the appalling conditions that civilians and medical personnel are living in under siege We grieve the lives lost and call on all parties to respect the sacredness of life and the spaces that protect it.
Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis
Over the past week, Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest who was also injured in the attack, had been urging people to remain inside their rooms, as intense nearby shelling and military operations had made the area increasingly dangerous.
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.
Caritas Jerusalem staff in Gaza
Caritas Jerusalem had already endured significant loss, having lost two staff members in October and November 2023—a lab technician and a pharmacist from the Gaza Health Centre—who were killed along with their children during heavy shelling.
Caritas Internationalis stands in full solidarity with Caritas Jerusalem and all partners working under siege to serve the people in huge need and echo their urgent demand to:
Respect and protect places of worship and humanitarian shelter, as required under international humanitarian law.
Ensure unhindered access to humanitarian aid, safe corridors, and medical support for civilians.
Stop all attacks on civilians, especially those seeking refuge in churches, other places of worship and clearly marked humanitarian spaces.
Uphold human dignity, which must never be a casualty of war.
The Caritas confederation reaffirms its call for the full respect of international law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and joins Pope Leo XIV in his renewed appeal to the international community for an immediate ceasefire.
The Holy Father expressed deep sorrow upon learning of the loss of life and injuries caused by the Israeli armed forces’ attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza, that gives shelter to hundreds of civilians of all faiths, with which his predecessor, Pope Francis, remained in close contact since the beginning of the war.
