Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition" hit Gaza's only Catholic Church, killing three people sheltering there. "Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful," he said in a statement.

Israel said Thursday that it “deeply regrets” a deadly strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church that killed three people.

Hundreds of Christian and Muslim Palestinians have been sheltering at the Holy Family Catholic Church, whose priest was close with the late Pope Francis.

Israel launched rare strikes in Damascus on Wednesday in a campaign it said was aimed at defending the Druze community after days of clashes in the southern city of Sweida.