Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
A view of the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, after an Israeli tank shell hit the church the previous day, in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on July 18, 2025. (X, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III enter the Gaza Strip a day after three civilians were killed on the grounds of the territory’s only Catholic church.
Footage from the visit shows the Church leaders inspecting the damage to the roof from the outside, and walking through the Holy Family Church with local parishioners. Contrary to a New York Times report that said that the church was destroyed, the footage shows the interior of the building intact. Evidence of a strike is seen on the facade of the building, with burn marks radiating from a blown-out section near the roof.
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III in Gaza City’s Holy Family Church, July 18, 2025, a day after the church was damaged by a shell fired from a nearby Israeli tank (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Israeli military said that shrapnel from a tank shell fired during operations in Gaza City hit the church.
According to the Latin Patriarchate, the delegation is meeting with local Christians to assess their needs and to offer condolences and solidarity.
Additional humanitarian assistance, which includes hundreds of tons of food and medical equipment, is also being sent to the Christian community in Gaza and other civilians.
Those injured in the attack are being evacuated out of the Gaza Strip.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 18, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
