Israel concludes investigation into Catholic church attack in Gaza

The Israeli army has announced the completion of its investigation into the strike on Gaza’s Holy Family Church, the only Catholic parish in the enclave, the military press service reported.

Following the inquiry, the military confirmed that the church had been damaged by an Israeli projectile but deemed the incident accidental.

"The investigation revealed that during operational activities by the Israeli Defense Forces in the urban Gaza area, the church was inadvertently hit due to the unintended deviation of the projectile, which caused damage to the building and wounded several residents of Gaza," the press service said.

The army said that after the incident, the command further clarified the rules of firing near religious sites, shelters, and "other sensitive locations."

On July 17, Gaza’s Holy Family Church was hit by Israeli army fire.