Israel destroyed the only Catholic Church in Gaza overnight in what they claim was a mistake, but Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa isn’t so sure. Three were killed and nine were injured, with one critical and two in serious condition.

Here’s what Cardinal Pizzaballa, the patriarch of Jerusalem, said:

The IDF said they have launched an investigation into the attack and the Israeli Foreign Ministry expresses deep sorrow over the destruction of the church:

Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty. The IDF is examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently. Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians.

 
I think there are many who give a lot of leeway to the IDF in Gaza because we all know the horrible tactics of Hamas. But it is also true that there are some Jews in Israel who vehemently hate Christianity, who have been conscripted in the war, and that is why I think Pizzaballa suggests uncertainty about this.

Even if this attack was intentional by some radical settler type, I wouldn’t blame the IDF as a whole, because I don’t believe it’s their policy for such things to happen. But I do think many would expect actions like this to have major consequences.