Israeli Prime Minister expresses regret over deadly Gaza church strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed regret following a deadly Israeli tank strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, which killed three people and wounded ten others. The attack that targeted Gaza’s only Catholic place of worship drew sharp criticism from religious and international figures.

 

Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a phone call with US President Donald Trump, blamed a “stray” tank round for the incident. Witnesses and the Latin Patriarch reported that a



shell had directly struck the church, while the Israeli military’s preliminary inquiry suggested that only shell fragments may have hit the building unintentionally.

The Vatican also responded, with Pope Leo XIV saying he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that President Trump had “not a positive reaction” upon hearing of the strike and subsequently reached out to Netanyahu.