Two years after the Israeli raid on the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyry in Gaza, killing 17 civilians, Father Gabriel Romanelli —parish priest of the Holy Family Catholic Church—remembered the victims with a post on social media, including photos of some of the fallen.

"May they rest in the peace of Christ," Romanelli writes. "They died in the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza following Israeli bombing." Among the names is Viola, 26, a Caritas Jerusalem worker, killed along with her husband and son.

On October 19, 2023, the Church of Saint Porphyry—one of the oldest and most symbolic Christian sites in the Strip—was hit during a shelling, at a time when it was providing shelter to dozens of displaced civilians.

In a recent interview with the Argentine portal Infobae, Father Romanelli also commented on the current delicate situation and ongoing diplomatic developments. "There are signs of hope," he stated, referring to a possible agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by multiple international actors: the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. "The fact that there are other guarantors provides greater security than on previous occasions," he observed.

Regarding Hamas's actions, Romanelli was harsh: "I demand that the hostages' bodies be recovered and returned to their families." He called the terrorist organization's executions "barbaric," while emphasizing the complex situation in the Strip, aggravated by years of embargo and the difficulty of even bringing in reconstruction materials.

The Argentine priest, who has been in Gaza for years, then launched a new appeal for the civilian population, especially children, who live "in increasingly precarious conditions and in urgent need of assistance."

(Unioneonline)