Catholic Sources Believe Israeli Attack on Church May Have Been Retaliation

Visible damage from the outside of Holy Family Catholic Church. Photo: pillarcatholic.com

GAZA — According to reports from The Pillar, a Catholic media outlet, sources close to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem believe the Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church on Thursday morning "could be a deliberate act of retaliation after Christian leaders recently condemned Israeli settler attacks on a West Bank Christian town."

The Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh has seen multiple recent attacks from illegal Israeli settlers, with multiple people shot dead, several homes and vehicles destroyed, and fires lit at various sites, one of those sites being the historic Church of St. George.

Additionally, billboards were put up that read, “There is no future for you here.”

At a meeting and prayer service this past Monday, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa denounced the attacks and accused Israeli authorities of failing to respond to urgent calls for help.

They also called for a formal investigation and accountability for those "who facilitate and enable their presence around Taybeh."

The article from the Pillar states:

"Sources close to the Patriarchate chancery told The Pillar that internally Church authorities were considering the possibility that the tank attack was a direct response to a recent meeting of Christian leaders in the West Bank town of Taybeh on Monday, and a statement that accused the Israeli authorities of facilitating attacks on local Christians."

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem (center right) and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa (center left) participate in a prayer ceremony. Photo: Times of Israel

Israeli settlers also recently beat to death a U.S. citizen who was visiting family in Palestine.

Previously, UOJ reported that those killed in the Israeli shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church were Orthodox Christians.

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