Jerusalem – Zaytoun news
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike yesterday on the Latin Church in Gaza City, which resulting in the killing of three Palestinians seeking refuge there.
In a press statement released on Friday, the church leaders expressed their solidarity with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and those who had sought refuge in the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, describing the attack as a “criminal assault” by the Israeli army.
The statement reported that the strike caused severe damage to the church compound, killed three individuals, and injured ten others, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
“Places of worship are sacred and must be protected from violence,” the statement read. “They are also safeguarded under international law. Targeting a church sheltering nearly 600 displaced persons, including children with disabilities, constitutes a flagrant violation of this law. It is an affront to human dignity, a desecration of sacred life, and a violation of a holy sanctuary.”
The church leaders called on world leaders and United Nations agencies to take urgent action to impose an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, leading to a permanent end to the war.
They also demanded full protection for all religious and humanitarian sites and the swift delivery of relief aid to the hundreds of thousands suffering from hunger in the Gaza Strip.
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