The church was closely watched by Pope Francis. Pope Francis spoke daily with the parish priests and presented his popemovie to the children who once were there.
On a rare and dangerous visit to Gaza – sealed primarily by foreign officials – Piabattista Cardinal Pizzabara, Theophilus III, the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, was delegated to the territory on Friday.
The video footage captured the arrival at the church, greeted by cheers and roars.
“On behalf of all Christians in our land, every church in the world is united with us at this moment,” said Pizzabara, who led the Sunday morning mass at the church.
President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the strike.
White House spokesman Tammy Bruce said it was an understatement to say Trump was not satisfied with Netanyahu during the phone call, adding that the US asked Israel to investigate the strike and “ensure that all civilians, including Christian civilians, are safe.”
“Everyone is terrifying,” she said.
Friday, R-GA. Trump Trump’s ally Marjorie Taylor Green has introduced a bill to strip Israel of US military funds to $500 million.
Netanyahu called Pope Leo on Friday night, saying Israel “deeply regrets that lost ammunition attacked the Holy Family Church in Gaza.”
The Israeli Defense Force said it is reviewing the incident. Israeli Foreign Ministry said the results of the investigation will be made public.
Bruce called the prime minister’s response a “proper start” and repeated the framing of Israeli strikes as an accident.
But the entry of regrets does not satisfy the grieving Catholic community that amplified the call for a ceasefire.
The Jerusalem branch of the Vatican Caritas Federation named the two deaths Saad Salameh, the custodian of the church, Saad Salameh, 60, and Fumayya Ayyad, 84. The Pope named the others Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Dawd.
Archbishop Timothy P. Bloglio, president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops, repeatedly and frequently took place under Francis, calling for peace and an “immediate ceasefire” after the strike.
“Along with my Holy Father, Catholic bishops in the United States are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths and injuries at the Holy Family Church in Gaza caused by military strikes,” Blogio said in a statement. “May peace be in Gaza.”
Pax Christie International, a Christian peace organisation, denounced the strike and called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
However, these calls may have intensified after the attack, but there were few signs of this weekend.
More than 150 people have been killed in Gaza since Pizzabara first arrived at Holy Family Church on Friday, local health officials say.
On Sunday, Israeli forces issued an evacuation order indicating that ground attacks could be expanding into new areas at the heart of the enclave, with the UN saying civilians are starving and needing urgent assistance.
Pizzabara, which is closer to a massacre than most foreigners have managed since the current conflict began, has once again sought peace.
“Churches around the world, especially the churches of the Holy Lands, Greek Orthodox and all churches will never abandon you,” he said, addressing the church.
“We work in the diplomatic world for a ceasefire and we are stopping this tragedy to stop this war,” he said.
