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 Francis, has been slightly injured in a leg, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.
The church was not the target of the attack, according to Israel.
"Israel deeply regrets that the Holy Family Church in Gaza was hit by mistake. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy," reads a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
The White House stated earlier on Thursday evening that Donald Trump, in a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed dissatisfaction with the attack. Netanyahu is said to have described the attack as a mistake.
It was a mistake by Israel to hit the Catholic church, that's what the prime minister conveyed to the president, says White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to reporters.
Earlier in the day, Israel's military said it was aware of the "allegations" about the church attack. At the same time, they claimed that they "never target churches or religious sites".
Meloni: Unacceptable
In Italy, the attack is causing outrage. Francis' successor, Pope Leo XIV, says in a statement that he is "deeply saddened" and calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calls Israel's attacks "unacceptable".
"Israel's raids on Gaza have also hit the Holy Family Church. 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.
France's foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot also condemns the attack, reports AFP.
"Unacceptable attack in Gaza on the Holy Family Church, 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
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 Thursday, reports Qatar-based Al Jazeera.
