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Israel has granted two senior Christian leaders rare access to Gaza after an Israeli strike on the Palestinian territory’s only Roman Catholic church killed three people.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, led a delegation on Friday to the Holy Family Church, whose shelling the day before triggered international condemnation.
Israeli authorities, which strictly control access to the besieged territory, permitted the visit after Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “deeply regrets” the strike on the church, where hundreds of Palestinians, including children and people with disabilities, have been sheltering.
The Israeli prime minister blamed the strike on a “stray” tank round, without providing evidence.
Netanyahu called Pope Leo on Friday morning and during the conversation the pontiff reiterated his appeal for “a renewed impetus to negotiations, for a ceasefire and for an end to the war”, the Vatican said in a statement.
Leo also expressed concern over the “dramatic” humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed the urgent need to protect places of worship, the faithful and all people in the Palestinian territories and Israel, the statement added.
Ten people were wounded in the shelling, including Gabriel Romanelli, the church’s priest, who used to receive daily calls from the late Pope Francis. He suffered light injuries to his right leg.
Israel resumed its strikes on Friday morning, with at least 14 Palestinians reported to have been killed across Gaza.
Pizzaballa and Theophilos, who last week travelled to the occupied West Bank after an attack on a Byzantine-era church blamed on Israeli settlers, met local Christians.
As they entered the enclave, Pizzaballa received a call from Leo, who was elected as successor to Francis in May.
“Pope Leo repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” he told Vatican News.
In a statement on Thursday, the pope had called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and expressed his “profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region”.
The Greek Orthodox patriarchate said the visit was “a powerful expression” of church unity and solidarity. Among the delegation were representatives from more than 20 countries, including Jordan, Russia, China, the EU, Japan and Canada.
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said the group arrived with 500 tonnes of aid for local civilians.
“The Italian government calls on Israel to stop military actions and to fully guarantee the safety of the two envoys in their important mission,” Tajani said.
Both Italy and France called the strike “unacceptable” and Donald Trump called Netanyahu after having “not a positive reaction” on hearing about it, according to Karoline Leavitt, the US president’s press secretary.
“It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church, that’s what the prime minister relayed to the president,” she told reporters.
There are about 1,000 Christians among Gaza’s population of more than 2 million. Most are Greek Orthodox, with about 135 Catholics, according to the Latin patriarchate.
Israel’s military says it does not target churches and religious sites but it has bombed mosques. The Jerusalem patriarchate said there had been “repeated assaults on Christian holy sites in Gaza”.
