Pope Leo XIV and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, have discussed the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip and the urgent need for assistance. Source: OSV News.
Mr Abbas telephoned the Pope yesterday “concerning recent developments in the conflict in the Gaza Strip and violence in the West Bank”, the Vatican press office said in a communique.
“During the call, the Holy Father repeated his appeal for international humanitarian law to be fully respected, emphasising in particular the obligation to protect civilians and sacred places, the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and of the forced transfer of the population,” the press office wrote.
“Given the tragic humanitarian situation, emphasis was placed on the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarian aid,” it said.
The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) reported that a large number of civilians, who were “anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies,” were suddenly fired upon by Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire on Sunday just as the UN convoy of 25 trucks bringing food to northern Gaza had crossed the final Israeli checkpoint into Gaza.
The Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said at least 67 people were killed. The Israel Defence Forces said it had fired “warning shots,” and it denied the reported number of deaths.
The WFP reported that “countless lives” were lost and “many more suffered life-threatening injuries. These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation.”
The “violent incident comes despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve, including that armed forces will not be present nor engage at any stage along humanitarian convoy routes,” the WFP said on Sunday.
“Without these fundamental conditions in place, we cannot continue providing life-saving support across the Gaza Strip,” it said, underlining its repeated warnings that the hunger crisis in Gaza was worsening.
“People are dying from a lack of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment. Nearly one person in three is not eating for days,” it said.
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Pope, Palestinian president discuss humanitarian tragedy in Gaza during phone call (By Carol Glatz, OSV News)
