• 'A strike hitting a site hosting 600 IDPs clearly appears to violate, at the very least, the principle of precaution in attack and in addition raises concerns of compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality,' says spokesperson

GENEVA

 The UN human rights office on Friday called for a "thorough, transparent and independent" investigation into Israel's recent deadly attack on a Gaza church, which was sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, including children and people with disabilities.

The attack "raises concerns of possible serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially given a pattern of such attacks on places of worship and other civilian objects since 7 October 2023," spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told Anadolu.

He noted that under international humanitarian law, "all parties to the conflict have obligations … to take special care to avoid damage to civilian objects, including buildings dedicated to religion, and to historic monuments."

"The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects constitutes a war crime," he underlined.

Noting that the human rights office is still verifying the details of the incident, the spokesperson recalled that the Holy Family Church reported that around 600 internally displaced people (IDPs) were inside the building when it was hit, including children, people with disabilities, and a parish priest who was among the injured.

"A strike hitting a site hosting 600 IDPs clearly appears to violate, at the very least, the principle of precaution in attack and in addition raises concerns of compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality," Al-Kheetan said.

On Friday, leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches paid a visit to the attacked church. After visiting the Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, alongside Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said the pope personally called him during the visit to express his concern.

“Pope Leo repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” Pizzaballa told Vatican News.

The pope conveyed his “closeness, care, prayer, support, and desire to do everything possible to achieve not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy,” he added.

Thursday's attack, which killed three people and injured several others, is the latest in a string of Israeli strikes on places of worship in Gaza, including the Gaza Baptist Church and the historic Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius – the oldest in Gaza and the third-oldest church in the world.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.