Vatican Doubts Unintentional Nature of Bombing of Catholic Church in Gaza

The Vatican, while expressing doubt about the unintentional nature of the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza, called for clarification of this attack.

The Israeli regime targeted a Catholic church in the center of Gaza on Thursday, July 17, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of several people, including the church’s priest, and caused extensive damage to the church building. Officials of the Zionist regime claimed that this attack was an unintentional mistake.

The Vatican, while expressing doubt about the mentioned attack and the statements of Israeli regime officials regarding the unintentional nature of this strike, called for official and clear explanations in this regard. Cardinal “Pietro Parolin,” the second-ranking official of the Vatican, said in an interview with Italian network “Rai”: “Given reports of three people being killed in the attack on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza and nine others wounded, including an Italian priest of the church, what has happened requires a complete explanation from Israel. The responses and statements that have been issued by Israel so far have not been sufficient and do not match the scale of what happened, and it is entirely justified that we doubt whether what occurred was merely a military mistake.”

The Israeli army stated about this attack: “This church was damaged by mistake and as a result of a artillery shell misfire.” The statements of the Israeli army and the expression of regret by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, regarding this incident, come at a time when approximately 600 displaced persons had taken refuge in this church.

The Vatican also stated in a statement: “An attack on places of worship is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and we call for respect for places of worship and ensuring the protection of civilians’ lives under all circumstances.”