Israeli strikes rip through Gaza, killing 17 in aid area and church

Israeli occupation forces launched a series of heavy airstrikes and artillery attacks across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 15 people in the al-Sudaniyya area, northwest of Gaza City, according to our reporters.

The casualties reportedly included humanitarian aid security personnel, who were targeted directly during the strike. The wave of attacks also hit displacement camps, residential neighborhoods, and schools across Gaza, as the military campaign continues to escalate.

In central Gaza, heavy shelling struck displacement tents inside two Abu Helou schools in the al-Bureij refugee camp, resulting in multiple casualties. Similar strikes were reported in Jabalia, al-Zaytoun, and al-Bureij, where residential buildings and civilian shelters were targeted.

Our correspondent described continuous artillery bombardment in al-Zarqa, located in Jabalia al-Balad, northern Gaza, with widespread destruction reported across the area.

In al-Zaytoun, an Israeli airstrike targeted an apartment near Imam al-Shafi’i School, killing three civilians and wounding several others.

Holy Family Church hit in Gaza City

The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, was struck by an Israeli tank shell on Saturday morning, injuring eight people seriously injured, including four with serious injuries.

Later, the church updated the toll, announcing that two were killed in the Israeli attack on the sole Roman Catholic church in the Gaza Strip.

“We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians,” said the Patriarchate, which oversees the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.

Several others sustained injuries, among them the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, whose wounds are reportedly less severe.

The incident drew swift condemnation and concern from senior church leaders. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, confirmed the strike in an interview with Vatican News, describing the attack as a direct hit on the church building.

The Cardinal confirmed that Father Romanelli was among those injured, along with other members of the church community. “There are also other injured, but less problematic,” he said. “They were all in the Church when the shell struck.”

Pizzaballa also noted the difficulty in obtaining accurate and timely information due to ongoing communication blackouts in Gaza, complicating efforts to assess the full scope of the incident. “We don’t have complete information about what has happened in Gaza today because communication is not that simple,” he explained. “But we are trying to get more details as soon as possible.”

Expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza, the Cardinal emphasized the Church’s commitment to remain present despite the deteriorating situation. Speaking in Italian, he said, “We always try to reach Gaza in all possible ways, directly and indirectly.”

“Now it’s too early to talk about all this, we need to understand what happened, what should be done, especially to protect our people, and of course, try to make sure that these things don’t happen anymore. Then we will see how to continue, but certainly, we will never leave them alone.”

In a related context, Pope Leo XIV expressed that he is “deeply saddened” by the attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church.

He also urged for “an immediate ceasefire.”

A Telegram post from the Vatican’s Secretary of State, speaking on behalf of the pope, stated, “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza” and “renews his calls for an immediate ceasefire.”

Systematic destruction of infrastructure

Israeli forces also carried out controlled demolitions of residential buildings in eastern Gaza City, continuing what observers have described as a systematic campaign to dismantle civilian infrastructure.

An airstrike also struck near al-Tuwam roundabout, northwest of Gaza City.

The renewed wave of attacks comes as international concern grows over the soaring civilian death toll and the repeated targeting of areas sheltering displaced families. UN officials and humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and population centers continue to be systematically devastated, leaving tens of thousands with nowhere safe to go.