Mother and daughter killed in Israeli strike on Gaza City — SkimNews
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- Maysa Abu Daoud and Mary al-Najjar were among five Palestinians killed when an Israeli air strike hit the ground floor of a building in Gaza City's Remal neighborhood on Saturday at approximately 1:30am local time (22:30 GMT).
- Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed "deep sorrow and grief" over the "tragic" killing and extended "heartfelt condolences" to the families and the Christian community in Gaza.
- Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City's Old City hosted the women's funeral on Saturday — the same compound where an October 19, 2023 strike killed at least 18 people.
- Mary's 14-year-old son Fouad al-Najjar told the Anadolu news agency that his grandmother and mother died, appealing for an end to what he called Israel's "genocidal war" after "almost three years" of conflict.
- Gaza's Christian community numbers fewer than 1,000 people, and has been repeatedly targeted: a July 17, 2025 strike on Holy Family Catholic Church killed three and wounded parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli.
- Gaza's Ministry of Health reports at least 74,228 Palestinians killed since the war began, including at least 1,445 since the start of the US-brokered October 2025 "ceasefire" with Hamas.
- Ramzi Khoury, chairman of Palestine's Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, called the deaths a "painful loss," while Palestinian Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac posted on X: "The genocide continues in Gaza."
Why it matters: Gaza's Christian community, already under 1,000 people, has now been hit by at least three church-targeted strikes in two years — Saint Porphyrius (October 2023, 18 killed), Holy Family (July 2025, 3 killed), and now the Remal strike. With 1,445 Palestinians killed since the US-brokered October 2025 "ceasefire," Cardinal Pizzaballa's statement implicitly indicts a deal that has failed to protect even churches and their volunteers.
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