TWO people have been killed and eight others including a parish priest befriended by The Pope were hurt in the first Israeli strike on a Catholic church in Gaza.

The attack damaged the famous Holy Family Church which the late Pope Francis was in touch with almost daily up to his death earlier this year.

Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said: “Two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning.”

Parish priest Father Gabriele Romanelli – who used to regularly update Pope Francis – suffered leg injuries as explosions rocked Gaza’s small Catholic quarter.

The strike sparked fury as the toll of civilian casualties continued to spiral, as Israel Defence Forces stepped up the onslaught in the besieged Hamas-run enclave.

Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened” by Gaza church attack.

The Holy Family Church in Gaza spoke in a separate statement of “a number of injured, some in critical condition.”

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it was “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene.

“The circumstances of the incident are under review.

“The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them.”

The Holy Family Church in Gaza spoke in a separate statement of “a number of injured, some in critical condition.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: “Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Holy Family Church.

“The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify Israel’s actions.”

Since the early days of the war, which erupted in October 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City.

Some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.

Only 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the US State Department’s international religious freedom report for 2024.

Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war.

In his final Easter message, a day before his death on April 21, he condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” in the Palestinian territory.

It comes after Hamas said it will release 10 hostages amid ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire deal for war-torn Gaza.

The Islamist terror group’s statement came after four days of indirect talks brokered by Qatar in a bid to bring peace for the distraught Gazans.

Both Hamas and Israel have spoken positively about the prospects, but there are reportedly a number of crucial sticking points

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long argued that Hamas must be completely disarmed and expelled from Gaza.

In turn, Hamas wants guarantees that the war would not resume after any ceasefire – as happened earlier this year.

It comes just days after President Donald Trump signalled his belief that an agreement for a 60-day truce would be struck before the end of the week.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said part of the deal would be the return of 10 living hostages held by militants since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which sparked the war.

Of 251 hostages seized during the assault on Israeli border communities near Gaza, 49 are still held in the territory, including 27, the Israeli military says are dead.

In its statement, Hamas said while key hurdles remained in the peace talks, they were ready to be flexible.