VATICAN CITY — The humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip and the need for urgent assistance were part of discussions between Pope Leo XVI and Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority.
Abbas telephoned the pope July 21 “concerning recent developments in the conflict in the Gaza Strip and violence in the West Bank,” the Vatican press office said in a communique.
“During the telephone call, the Holy Father repeated his appeal for international humanitarian law to be fully respected, emphasizing in particular the obligation to protect civilians and sacred places, the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and of the forced transfer of the population,” the press office wrote.
“Given the tragic humanitarian situation, emphasis was placed on the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarian aid,” it said.
The United Nations’ World Food Program reported that a large number of civilians, who were “anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies,” were suddenly fired upon by Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire July 20 just as the U.N. convoy of 25 trucks bringing food to northern Gaza had crossed the final Israeli checkpoint in Gaza.
VATICAN CITY — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Pope Leo XIV, who urged Israel’s leader to revive negotiations and enact a ceasefire.
The morning call to the pope’s summer residence at Castel Gandolfo July 18 came the day after the Israeli army struck the Holy Family Church compound, the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip. At least three people were killed and 10 more were injured from the shelling and falling debris, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
“During the conversation, the Holy Father renewed his call for renewed momentum for negotiation efforts and for a ceasefire and an end to the war,” the Vatican press office said in a communique. “He again expressed his concern for the tragic humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, a heartbreaking price being paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,” it said.
“Finally, the Holy Father reiterated the urgency of protecting places of worship and especially the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel,” the communique said. The pope had called for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and peace in the region in a telegram July 16.
The Gaza health ministry, which is run by the government of Hamas, said at least 67 people were killed. The Israel Defense Forces said it had fired “warning shots,” and it denied the reported number of deaths.
The WFP reported that “countless lives” were lost and “many more suffered life-threatening injuries. These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation.”
The “violent incident comes despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve, including that armed forces will not be present nor engage at any stage along humanitarian convoy routes,” the WFP said July 20.
“Without these fundamental conditions in place, we cannot continue providing life-saving support across the Gaza Strip,” it said, underlining its repeated warnings that the hunger crisis in Gaza was worsening.
“People are dying from a lack of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment. Nearly one person in three is not eating for days,” it said, reporting that a two-pound bag of flour costs more than $100 in local markets.