President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the recent Israeli shelling of Gaza’s only Catholic church, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“It was not a positive reaction,” Leavitt said during Thursday’s briefing. “He called the Prime Minister to address those strikes on that church in Gaza. The Prime Minister agreed to put out a statement that it was a mistake by the Israelis to hit the Catholic church.”
The strike on Holy Family Church killed three civilians and injured several others, including the parish priest. Hundreds of Palestinians — both Christian and Muslim— had been sheltering at the compound during ongoing Israeli operations.
Leavitt said the statement from Netanyahu acknowledging the strike as a mistake would be released soon. The move marks a rare instance of Trump publicly pressing Israel on military conduct.
