Pope Francis spoke out again against the airstrikes in Gaza on Saturday. This came after an Israeli minister criticized him for suggesting the attacks might be genocide against the Palestinian people. In his Christmas speech to the Catholic leaders, the pope mentioned a recent airstrike that killed 25 people, including children. He called this act cruel and said, “This is not war; it touches the heart.”
As the leader of over 1.4 billion Catholics, Pope Francis usually tries to remain neutral in conflicts. However, he has recently become more vocal about Israel’s military actions against Hamas, a Palestinian militant group. In some writings released last month, he noted that some experts believe the situation in Gaza could be considered genocide.
Israeli Minister Amichai Chikli criticized the pope’s comments in a letter to an Italian newspaper, saying they didn’t reflect the seriousness of the word genocide. The pope also shared that the Catholic bishop of Jerusalem attempted to visit Gaza but was not allowed to enter.
The ongoing conflict started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israeli communities, resulting in around 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages taken to Gaza. In response, Israel launched military operations that have reportedly killed over 45,000 people, mostly civilians, according to officials in Gaza. The war has devastated the area, displacing many families. Israel claims it is targeting Hamas militants, who they say hide among civilians, but Hamas denies this.
Leave a Reply