The Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed "deep sorrow" on Thursday over the damage done to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City that the country's military hit earlier in the day, claiming that the army "never targets churches or religious sites."
"The IDF is examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Israel "regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians."
Earlier in the day, Israel launched new strikes on central Gaza, hitting the Bureij refugee camp and Abu Halu School in it, as well as the Holy Family Church. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dismissed the occurrence as "unacceptable." Later, the Vatican said that Pope Leo XIV had been informed of what happened and confirmed that two women died in the strike.
