"Hello everyone, what happened is terrible. As you know, two days ago, an explosion hit the front of our church, the Church of the Holy Family. That cross you see is nearly two meters tall, so it's large, and the shrapnel, not only the shrapnel, but also the rocks fell on two elderly women who were under the church in a tent, and they died. The metal fragments injured many others. There were fifteen wounded, three of whom have died. The doorman, Saad, died, along with the two elderly women, Foumia and Najwa.

Among the wounded, I was injured in the leg, nothing serious, and in the side. But two people are seriously wounded. They’re not in life-threatening condition anymore, but they’re still in very serious condition: Najeeb is still hospitalized at the Anglican hospital, with a punctured lung, and Suhail, our postulant, our religious brother, whom many of you know. He’s a very capable young man, very apostolic. Since he was 15, he felt his calling, and he was supposed to be in seminary two years ago, but the war started, and he couldn’t leave or travel to officially begin his novitiate. He’s very active here in the parish. He suffered a severe injury and had surgery, and now he faces a long recovery. So please pray for these two, who are the most seriously injured. The rest of the wounded are doing well."

Comforted by the Church’s closeness

"The situation remains very serious throughout the entire Gaza Strip. We’ve been comforted by the closeness of the Church, as always. Pope Leo called us. The Latin Patriarch visited once again, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and he was accompanied by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. It was a deeply heartfelt visit, truly beautiful. In the midst of this tragedy, we’ve felt comfort, prayer, the closeness of our pastors, all the faithful, and all people of goodwill."

Let us pray, asking the Lord for forgiveness

"As I said, the situation continues to be very serious. We continue to pray for peace, to try to convince the world that this war will bring no good. The sooner it ends, the better—for everyone: for Palestine, for Israel, for all citizens. What can I say… we’ve lost so much, we’ve suffered so much, and we continue to suffer. We offer it all in the name of the Lord. During Mass that same day, in the Orthodox church where we buried the dead, we said the prayer of our Lord Jesus: 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' May the Lord truly forgive, not only them, but also us, forgive the whole world. For the Lord’s forgiveness is the source of grace, peace, and reconciliation."

Let us convince the whole world to end this war

"So I ask you again for your prayers, and let’s try to convince the whole world to end this war, so we can begin rebuilding peace, justice, and reconciliation, both in Palestine and in Israel. May Our Lady bless you. Thank you for your closeness. And forgive me if I haven’t answered many calls, it’s been impossible, because, thanks to your kindness, so many journalists and friends have called and continue to call, but we haven’t been able to respond."