Pope Leo XIV yesterday said he was following the humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza with “great concern,” saying the civilian population is being “crushed by hunger and continues to be exposed to violence and death”. Source: Crux.
The Pontiff was speaking after his Angelus in St Peter’s Square, soon after the Israeli military began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of the Gaza Strip, saying these pauses would last 10 hours a day.
On Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the starvation crisis was deepening across Gaza.
The UN press service said that out of 15 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza on Thursday, four were denied, three were impeded, one was postponed and two others had to be cancelled by the organisers, with only five missions facilitated.
In his address, Pope Leo renewed his “heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire” and called for the release of hostages and full respect for humanitarian law.
The Gaza War broke out following the October 7, 2023, surprise attack by Hamas militants that left 1200 Israelis dead and more than 250 taken as hostages.
Israel immediately launched a retaliatory offensive in Gaza to oust Hamas from leadership, with the subsequent conflict resulting in the deaths of over 70,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian estimates.
A peace deal made earlier this year has broken down, and Israel has increased its attacks on Gaza, killing thousands of people, most of them civilians.
“Every human person has an intrinsic dignity conferred on him or her by God himself. I urge the parties in all conflicts to recognise it and to stop any action contrary to it,” Pope Leo said.
“I urge you to negotiate a future of peace for all peoples and to reject anything that could jeopardise it. I entrust to Mary, Queen of Peace, the innocent victims of conflicts and the rulers who have the power to put an end to them,” he said.
FULL STORY
Pope Leo says Gaza ‘crushed by hunger’ as Vatican official calls for recognition of State of Palestine (By Charles Collins, Crux)
RELATED COVERAGE
Pope expresses grave concern for starving civilians in Gaza exposed to violence and death (Vatican News)
