Exclusive: Gaza priest injured in Israeli bombing discusses impact on parish community

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 18:13 pm (CNA).

“Thanks be to God more people weren’t harmed,” said Father Gabriel Romanelli in an exclusive interview with EWTN on July 24 in the wake of the July 17 bombing of his parish, Holy Family Church in Gaza, which left three dead and 15 wounded, including himself. 

“It was a shocking experience,” Romanelli told “EWTN Noticias” in the Spanish-language interview, noting that while the parish grounds were struck toward the beginning of the war in December 2023, last week’s attack marked the first time the church itself was hit. The front of the church was hit in a strike that Israeli officials have said was an accident. 

“That iconic cross you’ve seen — it’s about 2 meters [6.5 feet] tall — was heavily damaged,” the priest said of the crucifix fixed atop the church structure. “Shrapnel flew in all directions,” he recounted. 

“The area is quite small, and while we hear bombings daily and metal fragments often fall, there hadn’t been such a severe incident since the war began,” Romanelli continued, adding: “The recent strike has left a deep mark.”

Romanelli sustained an injury to his leg during the strike, which he shared is healing despite “a minor infection.” Of the others injured, Romanelli revealed only two are now no longer in life-threatening condition: one who suffered a punctured leg and another who sustained internal organ damage.

Life inside the walls of Gaza’s only Catholic parish

In the 17 days leading up to the strike on Holy Family, Romanelli described an atmosphere of “intense military activity and heavy bombardment.” Amid it all, he said, those living in the parish strive to “keep some semblance of a routine.” 

Every morning, the priest shared, the residents at Holy Family begin each day at 7 a.m. with silent adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament. “The children and youth participate in their own way — writing prayers or meditating,” he said. “It’s a miracle they are able to pray for peace amid the chaos.” Morning prayers in Arabic and a Eucharistic blessing follow.

Due to recent escalation, the parish has had to suspend many of its activities, which included games, youth meetings, and educational programs. “Shrapnel was falling so frequently that we couldn’t risk anyone being in the central courtyard, although it’s small,” Romanelli said. 

Holy Family Parish grounds include two homes run by the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, as well as the residences of the priests and sisters from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, a kindergarten and its oratory, a middle school, and an elementary school. 

Romanelli explained that the classrooms have been converted into living spaces, where about 500 mostly Christian refugees now live. “The few Muslims staying with us are terminally ill or disabled individuals cared for by the sisters,” he said. 

While the grounds provide much-needed shelter, Romanelli said the lack of access to proper sanitation or running water in addition to Gaza’s 100-plus-degree weather has made keeping children inside the classrooms, which are inhabited by 10-12 people each, “nearly impossible.” Prior to the escalations, nighttime soccer and basketball games were a staple among the children before prayers. 

While families mostly “fend for themselves” amid the widespread food shortage plaguing the region, the parish cooks for everyone twice per week. The parish relies mainly on solar panels, and the task of purifying water remains ongoing. 

Amid the disruption of daily life caused by the recent strike, Romanelli said religious formation for young people continues, “albeit modestly.” He noted the parish sometimes shows religious films, depending on power availability. Tomorrow, they will watch “the life of St. Rafqa, a Lebanese saint.”

When asked whether the parish could face closure under the current circumstances, Romanelli said: “Where would we go? The Christians here continue to say: ‘We’ll stay with Jesus.’” 

“No one has considered leaving,” he added. “They’ve known from the start there is nowhere else to go. Danger is everywhere, not just in designated ‘danger zones.’” 

Church’s critical role in supplying aid, hope among Gazans 

Catholic agencies alongside other churches were able to provide humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of families during the ceasefire five months ago. Since most of Gaza is currently under active military operations, “almost no aid has entered northern Gaza,” Romanelli said. 

Caritas Jerusalem and Holy Family Parish have provided medical services to the wider community, operating two makeshift clinics. In total, Romanelli noted, the Church has 10 clinics across Gaza, one permanent and nine mobile. But the lack of supplies limits what they are able to do. 

“There is dire need, particularly for food and medicine,” he emphasized. While some aid has been distributed across southern parts of Gaza, it has yet to reach Gaza City in the north, where the majority of the region’s Christians are concentrated.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, was able to enter the city following the strikes but was prevented from distributing aid. “He’s doing all he can to bring relief,” Romanelli said.

“We implore and beg that large-scale humanitarian assistance be allowed in,” the priest said, adding: “Even though some trucks are looted at times, that cannot justify stopping all humanitarian assistance. The more aid comes in, the less likely theft becomes.” 

A message to the international community

In his parting words, Romanelli called on the faithful and the international community to pray and to “speak the truth clearly and with fairness.” With prayer and diplomacy, he said, peace can be possible. 

On a practical level, the priest encouraged those who wish to help to “channel their support through the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem,” which has succeeded in bringing aid to the region in the past. 

“As we walk this way of the cross in Gaza, we cling to the hope that every via crucis ends with the empty tomb — with the Resurrection,” Romanelli said. “Christ suffers now in the innocent. But one day, glory will shine through.”

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265559/exclusive-gaza-priest-injured-in-israeli-bombing-discusses-impact-on-parish-community