Gaza City — The Israeli military intensified its bombardment of Gaza on Thursday, unleashing fresh waves of air and artillery strikes that killed at least 38 Palestinians, including the elderly and children. Among the most harrowing incidents was the shelling of Gaza’s only Catholic church, where three civilians were confirmed dead and several others, including the church’s priest, were critically wounded. The escalation marks one of the most brutal chapters yet in Israel’s months-long campaign, with religious sanctuaries now finding themselves in the crosshairs.
The assault on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City has ignited outrage across the Christian world. The church, which had become a refuge for dozens of displaced civilians—primarily the elderly—was reduced to rubble after shell fragments tore through its outer walls and inner compound. Witnesses described scenes of panic, with cries echoing through the debris as rescue teams pulled out bloodied bodies and injured survivors. Among the victims were a 77-year-old woman, a longtime caretaker of the church, and a blind man in his eighties who had been sheltering inside.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Vatican representatives swiftly condemned the attack, describing it as an unprovoked strike on a clearly marked civilian and religious institution. While Israeli military sources claim they are investigating the incident and believe the damage was collateral from nearby shelling, the lack of precision and rising civilian toll tell a far more damning story. This is not an isolated misfire. This is a pattern.
Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli forces struck multiple residential areas, particularly in Khan Younis and Zeitoun. Reports from medical teams on the ground indicate that many victims were killed in their sleep. Local hospitals, already crippled by months of siege, are overflowing. Health officials are now warning of an imminent collapse of emergency services. The injured are being laid on bare floors, operated on without anesthesia, and buried in mass graves without names.
Despite mounting calls from global leaders and rights organizations for an immediate ceasefire, Israel continues to escalate its operations, citing alleged Hamas activity as justification. However, critics argue that the targeting of aid convoys, religious sites, and densely populated residential blocks betrays a far broader agenda—one aimed at annihilating Palestinian civilian infrastructure under the guise of national security.
The war, now in its tenth month, has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and displaced more than two million. The scenes of devastation have become painfully familiar: children pulled from rubble, bloodied shrouds in makeshift morgues, and entire neighborhoods wiped off the map. Yet the international community, particularly Western powers backing Israel militarily and diplomatically, has failed to impose meaningful consequences.
The attack on the church could prove to be a turning point—not just morally, but diplomatically. Italy, France, Argentina, and even the Vatican have issued statements condemning the violence and demanding accountability. The question now is whether these statements will translate into action, or simply dissolve into the next news cycle while Gaza continues to burn.
As noted by Al Jazeera, the bombing of the Holy Family Church was part of a broader wave of Israeli strikes that killed at least 38 Palestinians in a single night, further cementing the siege as one of the deadliest assaults in modern history.
