Israeli Army Strikes Holy Family Catholic Church Complex in Gaza, Killing Three

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said the Holy Family complex in Gaza, belonging to the Latin Patriarchate, was struck by the Israeli army at around 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, July 17, and it revised the toll to three people dead and ten wounded, including two in serious condition.

The patriarchate said, "As of now, three people have died from their injuries, and ten have been wounded, two of them in serious condition," and it also said damages were caused to the building.

26 September Net

French president Emmanuel Macron "strongly condemned" the strike in a post on X and said he spoke with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, while affirming France's solidarity with Christians in Palestine.

Le Monde reported that the American president Donald Trump called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the strike, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Netanyahu told Trump it was "an error by the Israelis to strike this Catholic church."

In Gaza, TRT Français said Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian woman and wounded others early Friday morning to the west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire.

A medical source told Anadolu Agency that Sabah Ahmed Ali Abu Jameh, 62, died after being hit by Israeli fire in Khan Younis, while several others were wounded by gunfire fired by Israeli troops at tents housing forcibly displaced Palestinians in central Khan Younis and in the Mawasi area.

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TRT Français added that simultaneously the Israeli army launched air strikes and demolished buildings east of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, and it said Israel did not immediately comment on these incidents.

The same TRT Français article said Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement of October 10, which aimed to end its genocidal war against Gaza, and it cited that the war has killed more than 71,000 people and left more than 171,000 injured since October 2023.

Elsewhere, Middle East Monitor described Israeli settlers raiding and setting fire to a restaurant near An-Najah National University in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on July 5, 2026, after stealing money and smashing its doors.

The article said the attack occurred under the protection of the Israeli army and estimated the losses from the fire at around $300,000, while it also described other attacks in the West Bank including an area surrounding Palestinian homes in the northern part of Sinjil north of Ramallah.

In the occupied West Bank, مونت كارلو الدولية reported that a Palestinian youth was killed by Israeli army fire in the Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah, and it said the Palestinian Health Ministry informed it of the "martyrdom" of Ayman Rafiq Mohammed al-Hashlomon (30).

The same report said a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the Israeli army prevented the association’s ambulances from reaching the scene and fired warning shots, and it added that the Israeli army raided the Qalandia College of Vocational Training affiliated with UNRWA and "detained staff and students".