Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Pope Leo on Friday, the Vatican said, a day after an Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic church killed three people and injured several more.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed Thursday in several Israeli strikes on Gaza. Israel's military campaign to eliminate Hamas and bring home Israeli hostages, launched after the group's deadly October 2023 attack on Israel, has devastated Gaza, leaving the enclave grappling with severe hunger and widespread deprivation.

An Israeli strike hit the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing three people, injuring 10 others, and causing extensive damage to the religious complex.