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Here’s where things stand on Thursday 17 July 2025:
- Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed more than 90 people in the last 24-reporting period, including dozens of aid seekers, according to health officials.
- Condemnation grows as Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the besieged territory kills at least three people and wounds 10.
- In Syria, government forces are withdrawing from the southern region of Suwayda as part of a ceasefire agreed with the Druze minority.
- The Syrian president accuses Israel of sowing divisions and trying to “ignite tension and chaos” in his country after Israel’s military hit the heart of Damascus in what it says was support for the Druze.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 58,667 people and wounded 139,974, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Syrian leader pledges security for all, slams Israeli strikes on Damascus
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says protecting the country’s Druze citizens and their rights is a priority as he announces that local leaders will take control of security in the city of Suwayda in a bid to end sectarian violence in the south and in the wake of deadly Israeli strikes in Damascus.
Al-Sharaa’s remarks came after the Syrian government and Druze leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou announced a new ceasefire in the city and said the army had begun withdrawing from Suwayda.
Dozens of Syrian military vehicles were seen leaving the city overnight.
Israel airstrike hits vicinity of Syria’s Suwayda: Report
Israel has carried out an airstrike on the vicinity of Syria’s Suwayda, Syrian state news agency SANA said on Thursday.
These strikes come despite new ceasefire deal struck after four days of clashes between Druze armed groups, Bedouin tribes and government forces that have left hundreds dead.
US asked Israel to investigate Gaza church attack: State Department
A US State Department spokesperson says the Trump administration has asked Israel to investigate the strike on the Gaza City church that killed at least three people and injured 10 others.
“In this case, of course it was an accident,” Tammy Bruce told reporters during a briefing in Washington, DC. “I think the response from Netanyahu is an appropriate start.”
As we just reported, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Israel deeply regrets the strike on the church, which it said was caused by “stray ammunition”.
“We have asked that Israel investigate the strike still, of course, and ensure that all civilians – including Christian civilians, remain safe,” said Bruce, who also read out a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry expressing “deep sorrow” over the incident.
Israel has routinely targeted religious sites across Gaza since it began bombarding the territory in October 2023.
Israel says it ‘deeply regrets’ attack on Gaza’s Catholic church
Israel has reiterated that it “deeply regrets” an attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which it says was caused by a “stray ammunition hit. ”
A statement by PM Netanyahu’s office on X said, “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful.”
“We are grateful to Pope Leo for his words of comfort. Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,” it added.
At least three people were killed in the attack, which has been widely condemned by world leaders and Pope Leo.
Israel trying to ‘weaken’ Damascus during attacks on Syria
Ibrahim Al-Assil, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, says the “strategic goal” discussed by Israeli officials for Suwayda is to “keep Damascus weak”.
This is about preventing “[Syrian interim President] Ahmed al-Sharaa from consolidating power inside Syria”, Al-Assil told Al Jazeera.
“When it comes to the south, there are also strategic calls by Israel. One of them is to offer support to the Druze community,” he added.
Regional foreign ministers urge respect for Syria’s sovereignty
The foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkiye have issued a joint statement after holding talks on the situation in Syria.
Describing Israel’s strikes on the country as a “flagrant violation of international law”, they expressed support for “Syria’s security, unity, stability, and sovereignty”, and rejected “all foreign interference in its affairs”.
The ministers also welcomed the ceasefire deal that was reached in Suwayda, which they said must be respected in a way that “spares Syrian bloodshed and ensures the protection of civilians” and the rule of law.
“Syria’s security and stability constitute a cornerstone of regional security and stability and a shared priority”, the statement reads.
US Muslim group urges Washington to end ‘complicity with Israel’s slaughter’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has said “people of all faiths” must speak out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza following today’s deadly attack on the Holy Family Church.
“This attack on a church – and all the other deadly attacks on Gaza mosques, schools, universities, historic and cultural sites, cemeteries, medical facilities and personnel, civilian infrastructure, journalists, first responders, women, children, the elderly, and the disabled – once again demonstrates Israel’s brutal disregard for religious sites and the indiscriminate nature of its genocide,” CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.
“Our government must end its complicity with Israel’s slaughter, mass destruction, forced starvation, and ethnic cleansing.”
The US gives Israel at least $3.8bn in military assistance annually and has provided billions more since the Gaza war began.
France calls on all sides to respect ceasefire in Syria
The French Foreign Ministry has called on both sides in Syria to respect the ceasefire in Suwayda after days of clashes between Druze armed groups, Bedouin tribes and government forces.
The ministry also called for a probe into actions against minorities and called for Israel to stop unilateral action in the area.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has held talks in recent days with his Syrian and Israeli counterparts over the issue, the ministry said in a statement.
However, the statement comes after a Bedouin commander said fighters launched a new offensive, claiming the truce only applied to government forces.
Church attack highlights ‘resilience’ of Palestinian Christian community: envoy
Palestinian Ambassador Majed Bamya, deputy permanent observer to the UN, has hailed the Palestinian Christian community as an “integral” part of the past, present and future of the Palestinian people as a whole.
Commenting on Israel’s attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, Bamya noted that some try “to portray the conflict as a religious conflict between Muslims and Jews when it is a struggle for Palestinians’ presence in their homeland and their right to life and liberty as individuals and as a people”.
“In that struggle, people of every nationality, faith and race come together to defend freedom and justice, the sole path to peace. Palestinian Christians are often erased as they do not fit this narrative,” he wrote on X.
Israel’s attack on the Gaza City church “brought this component of the Palestinian people to the forefront”, Bamya added.
“Its existence, its contribution, its suffering, its resilience is an integral part of the Palestinian history, present and identity and it is an integral part of Palestine’s future.”
Trilateral mediators present new ceasefire deal: Report
Sources close to the negotiations told Axios they believed a deal could be reached soon following an updated offer presented to Hamas and Israel by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
The deal would involve a 60-day ceasefire, the release of 10 live captives and 18 dead ones, the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and increased aid into the Strip, according the report.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing since the US renewed a push for a ceasefire at the end of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, but they have reportedly stalled after Israel accused Hamas of making changes to a potential agreement.
Deconfliction in Syria continues: White House
Trump continues to support “Syria’s pathway to a peaceful and prosperous country”, and will continue to work on de-escalation, as Israeli attacks continue, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday
“As soon as the United States became involved in this conflict, we were able to de-escalate, deconflict – that seems to be continuing,” she said at a news briefing. “Syria agreed to draw back their troops that were in the area where that clash was ongoing and we continue to be very actively monitoring the situation.”
On Thursday, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority after US intervention to help achieve a truce in fighting between government forces and Druze fighters.
More than 80 MPs call on British government to sanction Israel
At least 84 parliamentarians across nine political parties have called on the British government to impose widespread sanctions on Israel over its repeated violations of international law.
A letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the MPs and Lords have called on the government to suspend the UK-Israel trade agreement until Israel complies with international law, ban all trade with illegal Israeli settlements, impose sanctions on those complicit in the war in Gaza, and end all arms transfers to Israel.
The letter comes in the run-up to the first anniversary of a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory was “unlawful” and must end “as rapidly as possible.”
Labour Party MP Richard Burgon, who co-organised the letter, said, “Israel is committing war crime after war crime.”
“We don’t need more empty words from the government calling on Israel to do the right thing. We need tough action to force Israel to end its atrocities against the Palestinian people,” he added.
Israeli security cabinet meets to discuss ceasefire negotiations
Israel’s security cabinet is currently meeting to discuss the latest developments during ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Doha.
According to Israeli media, mediators in the Qatari capital have presented new maps of the army’s withdrawal from the Morag Axis, which splits Khan Younis and Rafah.
However, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been quoted as saying that withdrawing from the axis was a “grave mistake”.
“I call on Netanyahu to reverse it. I call on Netanyahu to halt negotiations with terrorists and issue the necessary instructions to achieve the war’s objectives, which are the complete occupation of Gaza and the encouragement of immigration and settlement in Gaza,” Ben-Gvir said.
Trump called Netanyahu to address church attack
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump’s reaction to the church attack was “not a positive reaction”, and that he called Netanyahu on Thursday morning to discuss the attack.
“I understand the prime minister agreed to put out a statement,” she said during a daily White House press briefing. “It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church. That’s what the prime minister relayed to the president.”
MSF says worker injured in Israeli attack on Khan Younis tent camp
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says staffer Hasni al-Najjar was injured when Israeli forces opened fire on tents housing displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza city yesterday.
“Hosni was injured in his back due to shrapnel, which caused his lungs to fill with blood,” MSF said in a post on X.
Al-Najjar was transferred to Nasser Hospital, but a lack of available beds forced him to be moved to an MSF field hospital in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah for more treatment.
“Two of our colleagues were injured, and a third was killed in less than a month,” MSF said.
Israeli forces target al-Mawasi after ordering Palestinians to move there
Israeli forces have targeted tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, minutes after ordering residents in Jabalia to move to the so-called safe zone.
Shortly before the attack, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote on X that those in five designated blocks in Jabalia must “immediately evacuate southwards to al-Mawasi” due to an intensification of Israeli attacks in the area.
The Israeli army routinely calls on Palestinians to forcibly leave areas in Gaza to move to al-Mawasi, but it has consistently targeted the area, rendering no place in the enclave safe for Palestinians.
Hamas urges Arab, Muslim countries to break Israel’s Gaza blockade
The Palestinian group has called for “urgent action” as famine in Gaza has reached “dangerous levels” under the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid.
“The fascist occupation government’s exploitation of starvation and deprivation of basic necessities in the Gaza Strip as a tool of genocide, which has been ongoing for more than twenty-one months, represents an insistence on committing the most heinous crimes in modern times against innocent children and civilians,” Hamas said in a statement shared on Telegram.
“We call on Arab and Islamic countries and the United Nations to take urgent action and exert pressure to break the blockade, allow food and humanitarian aid into the Strip, and break this brutal cycle of killing, genocide, and starvation in the Gaza Strip.”
Is Israel using the Druze to expand hegemony in region?
Israel claims it has attacked Syria to protect its Druze minority, but analysts say its primary goal is to “divide and weaken” the country while expanding its hegemony in the Middle East.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- At least 94 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry says, including more than two dozen killed seeking aid.
- The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem says the death toll from Israel’s attack on the only Catholic church in Gaza has gone up to three, with 10 others injured.
- Global condemnation of Israel’s attacks on Syria continues, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling the bombings a threat to regional stability.
- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu defends the strikes, saying Israel would continue to use military means to guarantee that the Syrian government respects two “red lines”, which he said are the demilitarisation of Syrian territory south of Damascus and attacks on the Syrian Druze community.
- Slovenia says it is blacklisting far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as “persona non grata”, accusing them of inciting violence against Palestinians.
Today’s death toll in Gaza rises again
At least 41 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since dawn, medical sources tell Al Jazeera.
That includes at least 30 people killed in Gaza City alone.
Two bodies recovered after Israeli attack in Khan Younis
The bodies of two people were recovered after Israeli shelling in the centre of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex told our colleagues on the ground.
Since dawn, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 30 people, including 23 in Gaza City.
UK, German leaders discuss situation in Gaza, ceasefire efforts
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have discussed the “appalling situation” in Gaza, with both expressing support for efforts to secure a ceasefire.
“[And] to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages and the immediate unconditional humanitarian access that is so desperately needed at volume and speed,” Starmer said at a news conference alongside Merz.
Israel and Hamas, through mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US, have been negotiating a ceasefire deal that could see a 60-day pause in fighting.
US says Syria policy unchanged after violence in southern areas
A US State Department official says Washington “unequivocally” condemns all violence in Suwayda as Syrian government forces withdraw from the area following a ceasefire agreement to end sectarian fighting.
The unnamed official told the Reuters news agency that while there is no change in the US’s policy on Syria, the administration must investigate reports of abuses in Suwayda and the government must hold perpetrators to account.
“All parties must step back and engage in meaningful dialogue that leads to a lasting ceasefire,” the official added.
Gaza death toll rises
Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 32 people so far today, according to medical sources.
The figure includes three people who were killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church.
Syrian Bedouin fighters launch new offensive in Suwayda: Report
Syrian Bedouin fighters have reportedly launched a new offensive in Suwayda against Druze fighters, despite a ceasefire agreement that was announced last night.
A Bedouin military commander told the Reuters news agency that the truce only applied to government forces and not to them.
The commander said the fighters were seeking to free Bedouins whom Druze armed groups had detained in recent days.
Archbishop of Westminster condemns attack on Gaza church
The leader of Catholics in England and Wales has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the attack on the church in Gaza City.
“I condemn this appalling strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza, pray for the dead and injured, and stand in solidarity with Fr Gabriel Romanelli and the people sheltering in the compound – Christians and Muslims alike,” Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols said in a statement.
“For 20 months, the Church of the Holy Family has managed to be a place of sanctuary and spiritual support amidst the horrors of war, feeding and protecting hundreds of people.”
Palestinian priest urges end to Israeli attacks on Gaza
We’ve spoken to Father Bashar Fawadleh, the parish priest of Christ the Redeemer Church in Taybeh, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, about today’s Israeli attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church.
Fawadleh said he spoke with the assistant parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City about what happened. “He told me that the bombing was very [harsh]. They bombed the church itself,” Fawadleh told Al Jazeera.
“He told me, ‘Pray for us … We need a lot of prayers to stop the very horrible war in Gaza.’”
Fawadleh added that the Palestinian Christian community at his church in the West Bank, which has faced Israeli settler attacks, is experiencing a mix of emotions, witnessing what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
“Our feeling, it’s between hope and sorrow, between hope and death,” he said, calling for justice and an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
Israeli soldier charged with spying for Iran
Israeli authorities have charged a soldier with spying for Iran in exchange for money, domestic security agency Shin Bet said in a statement.
The soldier, who was not named, had allegedly sent videos of Israeli missile interceptions and sites hit by Iranian rocket fire in last month’s 12-day war between the two.
The security service said he had not sent material collected during his duties with the Israeli army and added that none of the information given to Iran had been classified.
However, the statement said: “This is considered a particularly grave incident involving direct contact between an [Israeli army] soldier and hostile foreign elements.”
A military court ordered that he should remain in custody until next week.
News of the indictment came just one day after Israel launched an unusual, nationwide media campaign warning citizens against spying for Iran. The ads said people who took Iranian cash in return for information faced up to 15 years in prison.
For its part, Iran has executed several people over the past month after they were convicted of collaborating with Israel and facilitating covert operations in the country.
Slovenia declaring far-right Israeli ministers ‘persona non grata’
The Slovenian foreign minister says the country has adopted a motion to blacklist far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Tanja Fajon said the move aims to put “pressure on the Israeli government to improve the intolerable conditions in Gaza and end the suffering of civilians”.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich – members of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing coalition – live in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and have been pushing to formally annex the area.
Since the start of the war on Gaza, the ministers have called for Israel to ethnically cleanse the territory and cut off all aid to Palestinians. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have also threatened to quit the coalition if the war ends.
Slovenia’s measure will bar the ministers from entering the country in what authorities say is a first in the European Union.
The government also accused Ben-Gvir and Smotrich of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements”.
Photos: Parents mourn children killed, wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza food centre
Israel’s attack on Syria poses threat to region, says Erdogan
In a call with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered support for Damascus and warned against regional instability in the wake of Israel’s attacks.
The presidency said Erdogan told al-Sharaa that Israel’s attacks were unacceptable and welcomed the ceasefire reached with Syria’s Druze.
At least 94 killed Palestinians brought to Gaza hospitals in past 24 hours
That’s according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which just released its latest casualty figures.
According to the ministry:
- Of the 94 killed Palestinians brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours, 26 were killed while seeking humanitarian aid.
- At least 367 injured Palestinians have also arrived at Gaza hospitals in the last 24 hours, including more than 32 who were hurt seeking aid.
- Since the contentious US- and Israel-backed GHF food distribution scheme was launched in May, at least 877 Palestinian aid seekers have been killed and 5,666 have been wounded.
- At least 58,667 Palestinians have been killed and another 139,94 have been injured across Gaza since Israel’s war on the territory began on October 7, 2023.
German foreign minister urges restraint after strikes on Syria
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said Syria must not become a playing field for regional tensions, after Israel launched several air strikes yesterday.
“In view of the Israeli air strikes, including in Damascus, I call on all domestic and foreign actors to refrain from taking any actions that could jeopardize the stability of Syria and the transition process,” Wadephul said in a statement.
Gaza death toll increases to 30 since dawn
Since dawn, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 30 people, medical sources told Al Jazeera.
Among the dead, 23 were killed in Gaza City, and an attack on the enclave’s only Catholic church resulted in the deaths of three people.
Attacks in Suwayda created new ‘social fabric’ in Syria
Labib al-Nahhas, a political analyst, says a new social fracture has been created in Syria between not only the Druze community and the authorities, “but also within the Syrian social fabric”.
“Right now, it is impossible to have any government intervention in the Suwayda area. Beyond that, Israel and we have to emphasise that the genesis of what we have witnessed in the last few days is [Hikmat] al-Hijri, who is one of the spiritual leaders of [the] Druze and his secessionist approach to the issue and Israel on the other side,” al-Nahhas told Al Jazeera.
Despite those known factors, we have to emphasise there have been some crucial mistakes in the decision-making, in the timing and the execution of the intervention,” he said.
Al-Nahhas added that what happened in Suwayda sets a “precedent” for other secessionist movements in Syria.
France condemns Israeli attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot slammed Israel’s attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church as “unacceptable”.
The attack killed at least two people.
“Unacceptable attack in Gaza against the Church of the Holy Family, historically under the protection of France,” he said, referring to a 16th-century accord during the Ottoman Empire’s reign, under which France oversaw territory in the name of protecting Catholics in Palestine.
Israeli attacks on Gaza churches: A list
Today’s attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City is far from an isolated case.
Since October 7, 2023, verified attacks on Gaza churches by Israeli forces include:
- St Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church: Air strike killed 18, damaged building.
- Holy Family Catholic Church: Snipers killed two women.
- Holy Family Catholic Church: Strike injured several, including priest; building damaged.
- Byzantine Church of Jabalia: Destroyed by air strikes.
- Monastery of St Hilarion: Damaged in bombardments.
Israel claims it did not intentionally target any of the churches.
Death toll in Gaza church attack rises to three
At least three people have been confirmed killed in Israel’s attack on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has said.
Ten others were wounded, including one in critical condition and two in serious condition.
The patriarchate urged world leaders to act to stop the war on Gaza.
“The time has come for leaders to raise their voices and to do all that is necessary in order to stop this tragedy which is humanly and morally unjustified,” it said in a statement.
Netanyahu says Israel will continue to use military means if ‘red lines’ are crossed
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel had “set a clear policy” in Syria and would continue to use military means to guarantee that its government respects two “red lines”.
“Demilitarising the area south of Damascus, from the Golan Heights to the Druze mountains, is one [red] line. The second line [is] protecting the brothers of our brothers, the Druze in the Druze mountains,” he said in a video statement.
The Syrian government “sent an army south of Damascus, into the area that should be demilitarized, and it began to massacre the Druze. We could not accept this in any way,” he said.
“We acted, and we will continue to act as necessary.”
Hamas condemns Israeli attack on Gaza church
The Palestinian group has slammed Israel’s attack on the church in Gaza City as “a new crime committed against places of worship and innocent displaced persons”.
“It comes within the context of the comprehensive war of extermination against the Palestinian people,” Hamas said in a statement shared on Telegram.
Rights group urges accountability for abuses against civilians in Syria
The Syria director of the Norwegian Refugee Council says ensuring accountability is “paramount” as the country continues to rebuild after years of violence and war.
“With hundreds of deaths reported among civilians, at least 1,200 families have fled their homes to seek shelter with friends and relatives elsewhere in Sweida [Suwayda], in rural areas south of the city, and the neighbouring Daraa [Deraa] governorate,” Federico Jachetti said in a statement.
“Hospitals in the region are overwhelmed as medication runs out while shops have closed amid water and power cuts.”
He also said Israel’s attacks across Syria, including on the main square in the capital, Damascus, had shattered “any hope of normalcy returning to Syrian lives”.
“For months, Israel has occupied further Syrian territory in the southwest, repeatedly attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure. The international community must make it clear that such actions are unacceptable, represent a violation of international law, and directly contribute to Syria’s instability,” Jachetti said.
Palestinian girl recounts losing legs and family in Israeli attack on Gaza
A 16-year-old Palestinian girl lost her parents and her legs when Israeli forces bombed her home in Gaza, leaving only her and her younger brother alive.
‘Full-fledged crime’: Palestinian Foreign Ministry slams Israeli church attack
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the attack on Gaza’s Church of the Holy Family, also known as the Latin church, saying it regards it “a full-fledged crime that falls within the framework of the genocide” perpetrated by Israel.
The ministry said in a statement that Israel continues to be responsible for deliberate attacks targeting places of worship, hospitals, schools and shelters.
Survivors of Gaza church attack describe ‘totally horrifying’ ordeal
Witnesses of Israel’s deadly attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church have described their experiences to Al Jazeera.
Shadi Abu Dawoud, a 47-year-old Palestinian Christian, said the church’s main hall was housing dozens of displaced citizens, mainly children and elderly people, and that all were “peaceful civilians”.
“My mother suffered serious injuries in the head; she was wandering in the church’s yard with other elderly women [when Israeli forces attacked],” he said.
“We were taken by surprise by this Israeli air strike. This is a barbaric and unjustifiable act.
Mohammed Abu Hashem, a 69-year-old man who lives beside the church, said he was in the ruins of his home when there was a huge explosion that covered the area in black smoke, adding that he never thought the Israelis would attack the church.
“The Israeli air strike was massive, totally horrifying,” he said. “The horror we are living in is beyond description. No words could describe what we are living through. It is not even close to what you watch [on TV] or hear.”
Death toll in Gaza rises to 29 since dawn
The number of people killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip today has risen again, reaching at least 29.
Twenty-three of the victims were in Gaza City, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.
Israeli Foreign Ministry expresses ‘deep sorrow’ over church attack
In a rare move, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has offered an apology regarding the attack on the Gaza church.
“Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,” the ministry said in a social media post, adding that an investigation was under way.
The ministry claimed that “Israel never targets churches or religious sites,” even though it has attacked dozens of mosques and churches since the start of the war on Gaza.
Last month, an independent United Nations commission report said Israel has committed the crime against humanity of “extermination” by attacking Palestinian civilians sheltering in religious sites and schools in Gaza.
The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, said Israel has destroyed more than half of all religious and cultural sites in the territory, as well as more than 90 percent of school and university buildings in Gaza.