In yet another devastating blow to Gaza’s crumbling civilian infrastructure, an Israeli tank shell struck the Holy Family Catholic Church, Gaza’s only Catholic sanctuary, killing three people and wounding ten others, including the parish priest. The church had become a vital refuge for hundreds of displaced Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, many of them elderly or disabled, fleeing the relentless Israeli offensive.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, the wounded priest, has long been a beacon of hope in Gaza, offering solace and support to a community under siege. Before his passing earlier this year, Pope Francis maintained regular contact with the parish, often calling daily to speak not just with Romanelli, but with the frightened civilians huddled within the compound. The priest’s injury, and the deaths of two sheltering civilians, a church caretaker and an elderly woman, have sent shockwaves through Gaza’s dwindling Christian population.

This is not the first time churches have been hit in the war. Religious sanctuaries, schools, hospitals, and refugee shelters have all come under Israeli fire in recent months. While Israel claims such incidents are accidental or justified by the alleged presence of militants, Palestinians say the message is clear: no place is truly safe. In the case of the Holy Family Church, no militants were reported in the area, and survivors described the scene as one of peace and prayer, turned instantly into chaos.

Christian leaders across the region have condemned the attack as a flagrant violation of the sanctity of religious sites and the dignity of human life. The church, now badly damaged, had been sheltering around 600 people. Its courtyard, once a place of worship and quiet reflection, has become a site of mourning.

With the war nearing its second year and over 58,600 Palestinians killed, most of them women and children, the strike on one of Gaza’s last houses of worship underscores the deepening sense of despair. For the faithful and the displaced alike, even the sacred now lies under threat.