Israeli strikes kill 22 as Vatican envoy visits Gaza

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 22 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said.

Also on Sunday, Israeli authorities allowed Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, to enter Gaza and celebrate a pre-Christmas Mass with members of the territory’s small Christian community.

A strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City killed at least eight people, including three children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas militants sheltering there.

A strike on a home in the central city of Deir al-Balah late Saturday killed at least eight people, including three women and two children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. Another six people were killed in separate strikes on Sunday, according to local hospitals.

Vatican envoy celebrates with Gaza’s Christians

Dozens of worshippers gathered in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City as Pizzaballa and other clergy celebrated Mass. A Christmas tree was decorated with golden ornaments and twinkling white lights, and altar boys wearing red and white robes held candles.

The rare visit to Gaza by the Latin Patriarch came a day after Pope Francis had again criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza. Francis said Saturday that his envoy had been unable to enter the territory because of Israeli bombing.

“Yesterday children have been bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war,” Francis said during his annual Christmas greetings at the Vatican.

The pope recently called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, a conclusion later reached by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The International Court of Justice is investigating genocide allegations brought against Israel by South Africa. — AP