As discussions in Doha regarding a ceasefire in Gaza continue without clear outcomes, Israel has intensified its bombing campaign in the area, specifically targeting the only Catholic church.
An American official stated that the talks are progressing well, but Reuters reported that Hamas officials claim there has been no significant advancement. Under the terms being negotiated, ten prisoners currently held in Gaza and the remains of eighteen others would be exchanged over a 60-day period for an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees. A Hamas source noted that Israel provided new maps to intermediaries, promising to pull back its forces further than previously suggested.
Furthermore, the source mentioned that this partially meets Hamas’s demands, but it remains insufficient. Two Hamas officials who spoke with Reuters indicated that disagreements persist regarding the mechanisms for delivering aid to Gaza and assurances that the agreement would lead to an end to the conflict. Israeli media reports say that Israel has informed mediators of its willingness to abandon its demand for a military presence along the so-called Morag axis in southern Gaza during a potential ceasefire, and is also open to being flexible regarding the size of the security buffer zone it would maintain near the Israeli border.
Church Bombing
On the ground, the Israeli military reportedly killed at least 27 people in Gaza yesterday, including three in an attack on a church that was frequently communicated with by the late Pope Francis.
The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem issued a statement regarding the incident at the only Catholic church in Gaza, revealing that two women and one man were killed, while others were injured due to Israeli airstrikes on the Holy Family Church complex yesterday morning.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barron expressed on social media that France condemns the “unacceptable” bombing of the church, which is “under France’s historical protection.” He added, “I conveyed our country’s sympathy and solidarity to the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem. These attacks are intolerable. It is time to end the massacre in Gaza.”
French Protection
The French Foreign Ministry noted that “France protects Catholic religious communities in Israel and Palestine, a responsibility rooted in a long history dating back to the concessions made by François I to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1535.”
The French consulate in Jerusalem confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the Latin parish in Gaza is under France’s protection, explicitly mentioned in the 1913 agreement. Father Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine national, suffered minor injuries in the strike and was seen on television receiving treatment at a hospital in Gaza, with a bandage on his right leg.
Romanelli has been accustomed to updating the late Pope Francis on developments concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the Vatican, Pope Leo expressed deep sadness upon hearing about the loss of life and injuries resulting from the attack.
In a message of solidarity addressed to the victims and the injured, sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, the Pope reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and expressed hope for dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace in the region.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated in a statement, “The attacks carried out by Israel against civilian populations for months are unacceptable.”