GAZA CITY: Two of the most senior Christian leaders in the Holy Land travelled to Gaza on Friday (Jul 18) after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory's only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation. The rare visit came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "deeply regrets" the strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and blamed a "stray" round. Israel strictly controls access to the territory, where the civil defence agency on Friday reported that further Israeli strikes killed at least 14 Palestinians across Gaza. The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, headed an "ecclesiastical delegation" to meet local Christians following Thursday's strike on the Holy Family Church, the churches said. The delegation expressed "the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza", the Latin Patriarchate said. "During their stay, the delegation will meet with members of the local Christian community, offer condolences and solidarity, and stand alongside those affected by the recent events," it added. The Jerusalem Patriarchate called it a "powerful expression" of church unity and solidarity. The clerics, who last week travelled to the occupied West Bank after an attack on an ancient Byzantine-era church blamed on Israeli settlers, were joined by diplomatic representatives from more than 20 countries, including Jordan, Russia, China, the EU, Japan, and Canada, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate added.