An Israeli shell struck Gaza’s only Catholic church, the Holy Family compound, killing two people and injuring several others, including the parish priest, a close friend of Pope Francis. The church was sheltering hundreds of civilians, including disabled children. Global outrage followed, with Italy’s PM calling the strike “unacceptable” and the Israeli Foreign Ministry issuing a rare apology.

From the heart of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi issued a strong warning to Pakistan, accusing it of orchestrating a conspiracy to incite riots in India. Addressing a public gathering, PM Modi said that the neighbouring country had been continuously attempting to destabilise peace through planned unrest, but asserted that such tactics would not be tolerated. He emphasised that the people of India are united and aware, and any external attempts to spread chaos will be met with a firm response.