Pope Leo Urges Immediate Halt to Gaza ‘Barbarity’
(MENAFN) Pope Leo issued an urgent plea on Sunday for “an immediate halt to the barbarity of the war,” after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City's Holy Family Catholic parish resulted in the deaths of three civilians and left multiple others wounded, including the church’s priest.
The strike hit on Thursday morning at Gaza’s sole Catholic church, a sanctuary where approximately 600 people had sought refuge amid ongoing violence.
According to media, the pope named the deceased victims as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud. He expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, saying he was “close” to them in their suffering.
During his remarks following the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo on Sunday, Pope Leo stated that the strike “is just one of the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza.”
He urged an end to hostilities and emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The pope also called on the global community to uphold international humanitarian law, stressing in particular “the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population.”
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