Vatican doubts whether bombing of Catholic church in Gaza was unintentional
The Vatican, while doubting whether the bombing of the Catholic Church in Gaza was unintentional, called for transparency about the attack.
On Thursday, July 17, the Israeli regime bombed a Catholic church in the center of Gaza City, killing and wounding several people, including the church's priest, and causing extensive damage to the church building. Israeli officials claimed that the attack was an unintentional mistake.
The Vatican, while expressing doubts about the attack and the statements of Israeli officials that the attack was unintentional, demanded an official and transparent explanation in this regard. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second in command of the Vatican, said in an interview with the Italian channel Rai: "Given the reports about the death of three people in the attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and the injury of nine others, including the Italian priest of the church, what happened requires a full explanation from Israel. The reactions and statements that have been published so far by Israel are insufficient and do not reflect the scale of the incident, and it is entirely permissible for us to suspect that what happened was simply a military mistake."
The Israeli army stated regarding the attack: "The church was damaged by mistake and by a shrapnel from a cannonball." The statements of the Israeli army and the expression of regret by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the incident came at a time when about 600 refugees were taking refuge in the church.
The Vatican also added in a statement: "Attacks on places of worship are a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and we demand respect for places of worship and guarantees to protect the lives of civilians in all circumstances."
