Pope Leo XIV was “deeply saddened” after two people were killed in a strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, the Vatican’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said in a telegram on Thursday.

Holy Family Church in Gaza was hit by Israeli forces Thursday morning, resulting in several people injured and three people dying from sustained injuries.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed Thursday in several Israeli strikes on Gaza. Israel's military campaign to eliminate Hamas and bring home Israeli hostages, launched after the group's deadly October 2023 attack on Israel, has devastated Gaza, leaving the enclave grappling with severe hunger and widespread deprivation.