• International summit outlines concrete legal measures to hold Israel accountable over Gaza atrocities.
• Global outrage as civilians sheltering in Gaza’s Catholic church are killed in latest military strike.
An Israeli bombing of the Holy Family Church, which sheltered elderly and women, in Gaza on Thursday has killed two women and wounded several others, including a priest. Known locally as the Latin Monastery Church, it is the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip and had become a shelter for displaced Palestinians seeking refuge from ongoing airstrikes.
The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem confirmed that Father Gabriel Romanelli was injured in the attack and reported significant structural damage to the church building. According to the Patriarchate, civilians who had taken shelter inside the church were among the casualties, highlighting once again the growing dangers faced by non-combatants in Gaza. This is not the first time the church has been struck; the Israeli military has previously targeted the site, causing extensive damage to the premises. However this pales in comparison to the 79% of mosques that have been obliterated by Israeli forces in the past 2 years, according to statistics.
International response has included direct political condemnation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni openly blamed Israel for the strike on the church, stating: “The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude”.
As civilian spaces across Gaza continue to be targeted, momentum is growing internationally to move beyond statements of concern and toward coordinated political action. On Wednesday, a coalition of countries met in Bogotá, Colombia for an emergency summit to discuss how to curb what they described as Israel’s systematic violations of international law. Co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and South Africa, the gathering brought together more than 30 states from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe under the banner of the Hague Group, a legal bloc launched earlier this year to address impunity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
In a joint announcement, member states outlined six specific measures aimed at halting what they called the “onslaught” on Gaza and preventing further breaches of international law. These measures include the prevention of arms, military fuel, and dual-use item transfers to Israel; the prohibition of vessel docking or transit where military use is suspected; and the removal of national flags from ships found to be violating these bans. States also pledged to review public contracts connected to Israel’s occupation, enforce investigations into war crimes, and support universal jurisdiction frameworks to prosecute international crimes linked to the conflict.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, praised the outcome of the summit, describing the measures not only as acts of accountability but as “lifelines for a people who are under relentless assault.” She added that the summit marked a “momentous step” and urged countries across Europe, the Arab world, and beyond to join the effort. A deadline of September 2025 has been set for final state decisions on implementing the actions.
While the attack on the Holy Family Church has drawn headlines for its religious symbolism, it is part of a broader and more devastating pattern of targeting civilian spaces in Gaza—schools, hospitals, homes, and places of worship, with some estimates taht 79% of Mosques have been destroyed to date by Israeli forces. For Palestinians, there are increasingly fewer places left to seek shelter. The international response is slowly shifting from symbolic outrage to legal mechanisms and policy-driven pressure. As the siege on Gaza continues, the call for justice grows louder, and with it, a demand that international law apply not selectively but universally.
