Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, described the small resilient community of the Holy Family Parish compound in Gaza City as one with “steadfast faith,” amid horrific destruction and constant bombardment.

“It was a long time I wanted, desired, to be with them, to meet them,” Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said of his visit to the resilient parish. “Now I had this possibility and am very happy.”

"The operation launched from Gaza and the reaction of the Israeli Army are bringing us back to the worst period of our recent history," the patriarchate, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said in a statement.

In a statement condemning the attack against a Christian site—the fifth in Jerusalem in five weeks—the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land said it was following the incident “with concern."