THE Israeli soldier said his strengths “accidentally” struck Gazais the only Catholic church last week following an investigation into a strike that killed three people and injured nine others, including a parish priest Friend close to the late Pope Francis.
The deadly strike on July 17 aroused international condemnation, including the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV Call at the end of the “barbarity of war”.
President Donald Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu In the wake of the mortar strike, With his administration calling for an investigation into the incident.
“Everyone is dismayed,” the White House spokesman Tammy Bruce said at the time.
Netanyahu’s office later expressed his regret in the strike, While the Israeli army said they were investigating.
On Wednesday, he announced that the southern command had completed his investigation the day before, determining that the troops had struck the church “due to an involuntary deviation of the ammunition”, in accordance with their preliminary declaration that the strike was accidental.
THE Israel Defense Forces admitted that the impact of the strike “caused damage to the structure” of the church and “injured several civilians from Gazan”. He did not recognize that three people were killed in the incident, according to church officials. The FDIs did not immediately respond to a request for comments from NBC News on the reasons why the deaths were not mentioned.
In a interview With the Italian newspaper Corriere Della will be shortly after the strike, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed doubts about the first declarations of Israel who described the incident an error.
“We are not a target. They say it was a mistake. Even if everyone here believes that it was not the case,” said Pizzaballa.
The late Pope Francis had done Almost northern calls At the Church of the Holy Family throughout the war in Gaza and until the days preceding his death in April, speaking with a parish priest, the Reverend. Gabriel Romanelliwho was injured in last week’s attack.
The FDI said that adjustments had been made to “improve the precision of fire” during the operation during which the Church was struck – and that following the incident, “the directives to open shots near religious buildings, shelters and other sensitive sites have been clarified.” Asked more information on the adjustments provided and how the directives have been clarified, a TSAhal spokesperson said they would not develop beyond the initial declaration.
Throughout the war in Gaza, civilians have often been killed in strikes that have an impact civilian buildings And shelterincluding religious sites.
Last week’s incident was also not the first time that the Church of the Sainte-Famille has been attacked. The Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem accused Israeli forces fatally pulled a mother and a daughter as they entered her ground December 2023.
Francis condemned the attack at the time. Israeli officials have denied responsibility.
The FDI sought to emphasize Wednesday that it had facilitated the transfer of aid to the Church of the Holy Family, in addition to coordinating the visit of a delegation on behalf of the Greek and Latin patriarchs, accompanied by a group of Christian clergy. Pizzaballa was one of those who make the rare and dangerous trip, Israel having sealed the enclave to visit foreign officials.
The completion by the FDI of his probe and the release of his conclusions were clearly rapid, the soldiers did not yet disclose the results of an increasing number of surveys since the start of the war in Gaza.
Israel launched its assault following the attacks of October 7, 2023 led by Hamas during which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 hostages, marking a major escalation in a conflict of decades.
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 a large part of the territory has been destroyed.