The death toll at Gaza's Holy Family Church would have been much worse if it hadn't been for the actions of the parish priest, according to Catholic charities.
Three people died and around ten others were injured after what the Israeli military has described as “stray ammunition” hit the compound.
The priest, Fr Gabriel Romanelli, who was himself slightly injured in the attack, and who has ministered in the region for decades, had advised people to stay indoors at the compound to shield from the violence.
Elizabeth Funnell, Middle East representative for the Catholic aid agency CAFOD, said in a statement that he “had been urging people to remain inside their rooms in recent days, as the situation around the church was becoming so dangerous. This is not a normal way for people to live, and yet his words and advice undoubtedly saved lives. A colleague in the church compound in Gaza told me ‘If Father Gabriel hadn’t warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today. It would have been a massacre.’ “
John Pontifex from the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need told Premier: “This is a really desperate situation and you can only but imagine how much worse it would have been had he not given that advice. This is someone who stayed with his people for over 30 years, and he has been a sign of God's presence, of Christ's presence in a situation of enormous suffering, and we can only but praise and salute his efforts and that of so many others.
“He has been such a stalwart on the phone almost daily to Pope Francis before Pope Francis's death and now he himself has been injured, although albeit slightly. And now pictures have emerged of him walking unsteadily whilst tending to someone injured nearby.”
The three victims were 60-year-old Saad Salameh the church’s janitor, 84- year-old Fumayya Ayyad, who was receiving psychological support in a tent in the church’s compound and Najwa abu Daoud who was, 69, and who had been sitting nearby.
Israel said initial inquiries suggest shell fragments “hit the Church mistakenly” but John Pontifex told Premier the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is keeping an open mind because it says the church was hit by a direct strike by a tank:
“We’re very, very concerned about this, not least because the circumstances in which that the church was struck are very uncertain. Was it indeed a stray piece of ammunition, or was it struck more deliberately? And it seems that there's a quite open question about that. The situation has caused enormous distress, adding to the distress that's already very, very widespread.
“This church has been a centre-point for hundreds of families to gather and find refuge. And it's been a place of prayer, as well as being a place of sanctuary. It's been a focal point of hope in Gaza City, which we know has suffered so badly – and we’re hoping it will continue in its role.”
Fr Gabriel, who is from Argentina, became a seminarian at the age of 18 and has spent most of his life in the Middle East. He’s been priest of the Church of the Holy Family since 2019.