Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement late on Thursday evening expressing regret after an IDF strike killed three civilians in Gaza’s only Catholic church.
Israeli forces have carried out attacks targeting places of worship, protected under the UN and international law, in the ongoing Gaza invasion.
After the attack on the church in Gaza, the statement read, “Israel deeply regrets that stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church,” the PMO said. “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful.”
There is no mention of the name of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the apology statement. Though it confirmed that “Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,” the PMO said.
The Israeli forces acknowledged that it was their tank shell that hit the church mistakenly during the operation, and they said they had ordered an investigation into the incident.
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The church was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including the children with disabilities, as per Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded.
As per population figures, out of 2.2 million in Gaza, around 1,000 are Christians, mostly Orthodox, but according to the Latin Patriarchate.
The Israeli invasion of Gaza has killed more than 58,000 people in Gaza, including women and children who form two-thirds of all victims killed in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel said it killed some 20,000 Hamas fighters since January and another 1,600 resistance fighters inside Israel during the October 7 Hamas attack.
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