A messy dispute broke out on Wednesday over whether Pope Francis used the word "genocide" to describe events in Gaza.
Pope Francis © Mena Today
A messy dispute broke out on Wednesday over whether Pope Francis used the word "genocide" to describe events in Gaza, with Palestinians who met with him insisting that he did and the Vatican saying he did not.
The opposing versions emerged at an afternoon press conference with 10 Palestinians who met the pope on Wednesday morning at his Vatican residence. That meeting followed a separate one with Israeli relatives of hostages in Gaza.
"When we shared the stories of the families that have been killed (in Gaza) he mentioned 'I see the genocide'," said Shireen Awwad Hilal, who teaches at the Bethlehem Bible College.
"It was very clear, the word genocide did not come from us. It came from His Holiness, Pope Francis," she said.
But a statement sent by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, in response to question texted by a reporter, said the opposite.
A new poll conducted between April 28 and May 5 reveals a striking picture of Lebanese public opinion on a potential peace agreement with Israel: across most of the country's major religious communities, support is either strong or majority, with one dramatic exception.
The organisers of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza said on Tuesday Israeli forces had intercepted 41 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean, with 10 vessels still sailing toward the enclave.
The organisers of a flotilla of aid vessels bound for Gaza said on Monday that Israeli forces had intercepted 39 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean, while the remaining ships were continuing to sail toward the enclave.
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