Pope Francis has repeatedly called for an end to the war, praying especially for Christians sheltered in the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza.
Pope Francis denounced on Friday the killing of Palestinian children by Israeli occupation forces labeling the targeting of schools for allegedly striking Hamas resistance fighters, as “ugly”, Reuters news agency reported.
The Pontiff reportedly made the comments while on a flight back to Rome from Singapore voicing his skepticism over the parties’ desire to end the nearly one-year war.
“I am sorry to have to say this,” Pope Francis said. “But I do not think that they are taking steps to make peace.”
The Pope revealed that he communicates daily over the phone with members of a Catholic parish in Gaza.
“They tell me ugly things, difficult things,” Pope Francis stated in reference to his conversations with the Catholic parish in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“It is ugly,” the Pontiff emphasized while addressing reporters in a press conference aboard the plane after a 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania.
According to Pope Francis, there are 600 Christians and Muslims in the parish and in the college. “They live as brothers,” he emphasized.
‘It is Terrorism’ – Pope Francis Condemns Attacks on Civilians in Gaza
In the 42-minute press conference – the first in a year – an Italian journalist asked Pope Francis about the possibility of the Holy See mediating to reach a ceasefire deal and the anticipated peace, the Pontiff said: “The Holy See is working (for peace).”
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for an end to the war, praying especially for Christians sheltered in the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza.
On December 17 of last year, during the Angelus prayer, the Pope said he continues to receive troubling news from Gaza, where “unarmed civilians are the targets of bombings and gunfire.”
Pope Francis also condemned an attack on the compound of the Catholic parish, “where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.”
“A mother, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton, and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and others were wounded by the shooters while they were going to the bathroom,” the Pope said.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,118 Palestinians have been killed, and 95,125 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, MEMO)
Catholic church:
raping kids; not even trying to stop it- Ok!
blatantly killing kids; not even trying to hide it – not ok!