Pope Francis calls situation in Gaza shameful as he steps up criticism of Israel’s offensive
The pope, 88, was present for the address to diplomates – but asked an aide to read it as he is recovering from a cold
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pope Francis on has stepped up his recent criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful".
In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza, where there is almost no electricity.
"We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians," the text said. "We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit."
The pope, 88, who was present for the address but asked an aide to read it as he is recovering from a cold, also condemned antisemitism; called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts around the world; and expressed concern over the climate crisis.
The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys from some 184 countries that is sometimes called the pope's "state of the world" speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was among those present for the event.
Pope Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts.
But he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas, and has suggested the global community should study whether the offensive constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
An Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff in December for that suggestion. The pope's text said he condemns antisemitism, and called the growth of antisemitic groups "a source of deep concern".
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 46,000 people have been killed in the Israel's retaliatory war inside Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste and most of the territory's 2.1 million people have been displaced multiple times and face acute shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian agencies say.
Elsewhere on Thursday, US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources close to the talks said on Thursday.
On Thursday, a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said the absence of a deal so far did not mean the talks were going nowhere and this was the most serious attempt so far.
"There are extensive negotiations, mediators and negotiators are talking about every word and every detail. There is a breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps but there is no deal yet," he told Reuters, without giving further details.
The two sides have been at an impasse for a year over two key issues. Hamas has said it will only free its remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments