In another act of aggression against Gaza’s religious and civilian infrastructure, Israeli forces struck the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, killing two people, including the parish priest.

The Latin Patriarchate of Occupied al-Quds, which oversees the church, confirmed the attack and issued a statement condemning the targeting of civilians: "We pray for their souls and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing justifies targeting innocent civilians."

استهداف كنيسة العائلة المقدسة في غزة
في تمام الساعة العاشرة من صباح اليوم، شنّت طائرة مسيّرة تابعة للاحتلال الإسرائيلي غارة مباشرة على مبنى كنيسة العائلة المقدسة للاتين في غزة، حيث يلتجئ إليها نازحون منذ أكثر من 21 شهراً.
جاء القصف بعد ساعة فقط من صلاة رفعها أبناء الكنيسة من أجل… pic.twitter.com/Zhyd9APt1V

, عبدالله العطار abdallah alattar (@abdallahatar) July 17, 2025

The assault on one of Gaza’s last functioning Christian sanctuaries is part of what many observers and rights groups are calling a deliberate campaign to destroy the Strip’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas denounced the church bombing as "a new crime committed against places of worship and innocent displaced persons," describing it as one piece in a broader "genocidal war against our Palestinian people in all their components."

Sanctuaries Under Siege

The targeting of the Holy Family Church follows a devastating pattern. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Endowments, Israeli occupation forces have destroyed 79% of the mosques across the Gaza Strip and completely leveled three churches. Saint Porphyrius Church, the third-oldest in the world, was bombed earlier in the war, killing and injuring hundreds of displaced civilians sheltering inside. The al-Ahli Baptist church, located within a Gaza hospital, was also struck, resulting in the deaths of over 500 people, many of them medical staff and patients.

"The targeting of mosques and places of worship by the occupation forces is a clear violation of all sanctities, international law, and human rights law," said Endowments Ministry spokesperson Ikrami al-Mudallal, who also reported that 255 clerics and imams have been killed, 26 detained, and dozens of cemeteries bombed, 14 of them entirely wiped out.

استشهاد فمية عياد وسعد سلامة جراء القصف الذي استهدف كنيسة العائلة المقدسة في غزةhttps://t.co/FoVMfYBlCc pic.twitter.com/qX4TuZIJMS

, الأقباط اليوم (@coptstoday) July 17, 2025

Hamas called for urgent international intervention, stating: "The continued massacres by the enemy, the starvation of our people in Gaza, and the killing of innocent civilians, as well as the targeting of mosques, churches, hospitals, bakeries, water wells, and all civilian facilities, are classified as war crimes." The group urged the international community and the United Nations to abandon silence and complicity: "We urge a serious stance against these ongoing and unprecedented crimes, and a prompt move to halt this brutal aggression and hold the occupation’s leaders accountable for crimes against humanity."

Read more: Israeli strikes rip through Gaza, killing 17 in aid area and church

As "Israel" continues its assault, religious sanctuaries, once places of refuge, have become mass graves. For many Palestinians, the attacks reflect not just military brutality but an all-out war on identity, history, and existence.