According to doctors at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, two women have been killed in the attack, reports Al Jazeera. Gaza's civil defense confirms the deaths.
A number of people are reported to be seriously injured. Priest Gabriel Romanelli, who previously became known for his daily phone calls with the now deceased Pope Franciskus, has according to the Italian news agency Ansa been slightly injured in a leg.
Meloni: Unacceptable
In Italy, the attack provokes disgust. Franciskus' successor, Pope Leo XIV, says in a statement that he is "deeply saddened" and urges an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calls Israel's attacks "unacceptable".
"Israel's raids on Gaza have also hit the Church of the Holy Family. The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has carried out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such behavior", Meloni writes on X.
The country's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani calls it a "serious act against a Christian place of worship", reports Ansa.
Also, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemns the attack, reports AFP.
"Unacceptable attack in Gaza on the Church of the Holy Family, which has historically been protected by France”, he says in a statement and refers to the country's promise from the 16th century to protect Catholic churches in what is called the Holy Land.
Small minority
Israel's military says in a first statement that it is aware of the "allegations" about the church attack. They claim at the same time that they "never direct attacks against churches or religious sites".
Christians make up a small minority in the Gaza Strip. Around 1,000 of the territory's over two million people are Christians, most of them Orthodox. Only just over 130 Palestinians in Gaza define themselves as Catholics, according to the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
In total, around twenty Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since early Thursday, reports Qatar-based Al Jazeera.
