The Israeli army says that their “accidentally” forces arrived at the only Catholic Church of Gaza last week after an investigation into a strike that killed three people and wounded nine others, including a pastor who was a close friend of the late Pope Francis.
The deadly strike on July 17 attracted international conviction, even from the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV asking for the end of the “barbarity of war.”
President Donald Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the mortar strike, With your administration asking for an investigation into the incident.
“Everyone is horrified,” said White House spokesman Tammy Bruce, at that time.
The Netanyahu office expressed its regret for the strike, While the Israeli army said they would carry out an investigation.
On Wednesday, he announced that the South Command had completed his investigation the day before, determining that the troops had hit the Church “due to an involuntary deviation of ammunition”, in line with his preliminary statement that the strike was accidental.
Israel’s defense forces acknowledged that the impact of the strike “caused damage to the structure” of the Church and “injured several Gazan civilians.” He did not recognize that three people were killed in the incident, according to church officials. The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comments from NBC News on why the deaths were not mentioned.
In an interview with the newspaper Corriere Della Sera de Italy shortly after the strike, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed doubts about the initial statements of Israel that called the incident an error.
“We are not a goal. They say it was a mistake. Even if everyone believes it was not,” Pizzaballa said.
The late Pope Francis had made almost nocturnal calls to the Sacred Family Church during the war in Gaza and until the days before his death in April, speaking with the pastor, the reverend Gabriel Romanelli, who was injured in the attack last week.
The IDF said that adjustments had been made to “improve the accuracy of fire” during the operation in which the Church was beaten, and that after the incident, “the guidelines to open fire near religious buildings, shelters and other sensitive sites were clarified even more.” When more information about what settings were made and how the guidelines were further clarified, a spokesman for the FDI said they would not explain beyond the initial statement.
Throughout the war in Gaza, civilians have often been killed on strikes that affect civil buildings and shelters, including religious sites.
The incident last week was not the first time that the Church of the Sagrada Familia has been attacked. The Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem accused the Israeli forces of fatally shooting a mother and daughter while entering their land in December 2023.
Francis condemned the attack at that time. Israeli officials denied responsibility.
The FDI sought to emphasize on Wednesday that it had facilitated the transfer of aid to the Church of the Sagrada Familia, in addition to coordinating the visit of a delegation in the name of the Greek and Latin patriarchs, which were accompanied by a group of Christian clergy. Pizzaballa was one of those who made the rare and dangerous trip, with Israel to have sealed the enclave for the visits of foreign officials.
The completion of the FDI investigation and the release of their findings were remarkably fast, and the military has not yet published the results of a growing number of investigations since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Israel launched its assault after the 2023 attacks led by Hamas in which they killed about 1,200 people and around 250 hostages, marking an important escalation in a decades conflict.
Since then, more than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the enclave, while much of the territory has been destroyed.
