A parish priest and several others were injured after the Holy Family Church in northern Gaza was struck in an attack on Thursday morning, officials with the Catholic Church said. Gabriel Romanelli was very close with the late Pope Francis and the two spoke often during the war in Gaza.

The only Catholic church in Gaza has been damaged in an attack which injured several people, including the parish priest, officials said. Strikes hit the Holy Family Church in northern Gaza on Thursday morning, officials with the Catholic Church said.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli forces killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday and several were hurt in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly,