In a book written ahead of the Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis called for an investigation into the devastating situation in Gaza, describing the dire need for action to address the suffering of its people.
The book, titled Hope Never Disappoints. Pilgrims Towards a Better World, elves into global issues of war, displacement, and the search for hope, with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza taking center stage in several passages.
“In the Middle East, where the open doors of nations like Jordan or Lebanon continue to be a salvation for millions of people fleeing conflicts in the region,” he writes, “I am thinking above all of those who leave Gaza in the midst of the famine that has struck their Palestinian brothers and sisters given the difficulty of getting food and aid into their territory.”
The pontiff raises concerns about whether the unfolding events in Gaza may meet the criteria for genocide.
“According to some experts,” Pope Francis notes, “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”
Passages from the book were published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa ahead of its release.
These remarks from Pope Francis come after the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices has released a damning report echoing similar concerns.
Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff's jubilee year. https://t.co/VmFzmmWewX
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 17, 2024
‘Consistent with Genocide’ – UN
The report, covering the period from October 2023 to July 2024, asserts that Israel’s actions in Gaza align with characteristics of genocide, citing the widespread destruction of essential services, targeted civilian attacks, and the use of starvation as a method of war.
“Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life — food, water, and fuel,” the UN Committee stated.
“These statements along with the systematic and unlawful interference of humanitarian aid make clear Israel’s intent to instrumentalize life-saving supplies for political and military gains,” it added.
The report emphasizes the catastrophic effects of Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, which, by early 2024, had dropped over 25,000 tons of explosives—equivalent to the destructive power of two nuclear bombs.
This onslaught has obliterated water and sanitation systems, caused agricultural devastation, and unleashed toxic environmental pollution.
“By destroying vital water, sanitation and food systems, and contaminating the environment, Israel has created a lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come,” the Committee warned.
Israel’s Warfare in Gaza ‘Consistent with Genocide’ – UN Special Committee
Additionally, the report highlights Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid, targeted killing of civilians and aid workers, and the infliction of collective punishment on the Palestinian population, despite repeated appeals from the United Nations and binding orders from the International Court of Justice.
“Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury,” the report stated.
The findings shed light on the scale of destruction in Gaza and its devastating impact on Palestinian lives, leaving the international community to grapple with questions of accountability and justice amid an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
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, 43,799 Palestinians have been killed, and 103,601 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
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’.
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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.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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