Three people were killed in the attack on the church which housed around 600 internally displaced people, including children and those with disabilities.

The UN human rights office on Friday reportedly called for a “thorough, transparent and independent” investigation into Israel’s recent attack on a Gaza church, emphasizing that the deliberate targeting of civilians “constitutes a war crime.”

The attack “raises concerns of possible serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially given a pattern of such attacks on places of worship and other civilian objects since 7 October 2023,” spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told the Anadolu news agency.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: “What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church”

Images of the only Catholic Church in Gaza before and after today’s attack. pic.twitter.com/JZb18QDZWA

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) July 17, 2025

He noted that under international humanitarian law, “all parties to the conflict have obligations … to take special care to avoid damage to civilian objects, including buildings dedicated to religion, and to historic monuments.”

“The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects constitutes a war crime,” the spokesman emphasized.

Three Killed

Noting that the human rights office is still verifying the details of the incident, he said the Holy Family Church reported that around 600 internally displaced people (IDPs) were inside the building when it was hit, including children, people with disabilities, and a parish priest who was among those injured.

Palestinians gathered to mourn those killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which was condemned by international leaders as ‘unacceptable’. pic.twitter.com/Ihr10cWYPt

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 18, 2025

“A strike hitting a site hosting 600 IDPs clearly appears to violate, at the very least, the principle of precaution in attack and in addition raises concerns of compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality,” Al-Kheetan said.

Thursday’s attack, which killed three people and injured several others, is the latest in a string of Israeli strikes on places of worship in Gaza, including the Gaza Baptist Church and the historic Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius – the oldest in Gaza and the third-oldest church in the world.

Pope Leo Urges Ceasefire

On Friday, two top Christian leaders were granted access to Gaza by Israel to the church, the Guardian reported. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, led the delegation.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV renewed his call for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza following the attack.

Pope Leo Calls for ‘Immediate Ceasefire’ following Gaza Church Attack

In a telegram, he said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the “loss of life and injury” caused by the attack, in which the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was also injured.

“His holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region,” it stated.

Staggering Death Toll

Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.

At least one Palestinian was reported killed and two young girls injured as an Israeli drone strike on the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, eastern Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/7sFZ7OseKy

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 18, 2025

On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 58,000, wounding more than 139,000, with over 14,000 still missing.

Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.

In Final Statement, Jewish Anti-Zionist Congress Calls for Suspension of Israel from UN

Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.

(Anadolu, PC)