Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly attacked religious sites, including mosques and churches. In October 2023, only days after the brutal attacks began, the Israeli military struck the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, the oldest church in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people.

On July 17, 2025, in what survivors describe as a blatant violation of human and religious values, an Israeli fighter jet bombed the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, without any prior warning. The strike killed three people and injured at least nine others, three of them critically.

Among the dead were Saad Salama, the parish’s 60-year-old janitor; Fumya Ayaad, an 84-year-old woman receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent within the church compound; and Najwa Abu Dawood, 71. Najeeb Tarazi, a man with disabilities, was among the seriously injured. The parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, also suffered a leg wound.

One month after the attack on the church, I spoke to some of the survivors about what they experienced that day — and how they are continuing to survive, and worship, within the walls of Holy Family, which remain standing despite the damage.

Wasn’t This Supposed to Be a Sanctuary?

This was not the first time the Holy Family Church had been targeted. Israeli raids had previously struck the church twice during the ongoing genocide. Since the beginning of the onslaught, the compound had sheltered between 500 and 600 Palestinian Christians — about 200 families — including children, the elderly, and 54 people with disabilities. For them, the church had been a sanctuary amid the destruction and horror.

Father Romanelli was known for his daily calls with the late Pope Francis, who remained in contact with Gaza’s Christians until his death in April 2025. These conversations brought a sense of comfort to the Christian people. Pope Francis had repeatedly condemned Israel’s conduct and even suggested that accusations of genocide in Gaza warranted investigation.

On the morning of the strike, after completing his prayers and a work meeting, Father Romanelli encountered Suhail Abu Dawood, 19, a young postulant of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, on the staircase. When the attack began, Romanelli rushed to help someone else before being injured himself. Suhail........

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