Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful".
Pope Francis © Mena Today
Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms 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 was present for the address but asked an aide to read it for him as he is recovering from a cold.
The Pope's critical and systematic stance toward Israel raises questions within the Vatican, especially given the rare denunciation of terrorism in Francis's statements
Reporting by Joshua McElwee and Mena Today
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed hope on Thursday that the election of Lebanon's new president, Joseph Aoun, would contribute to the country's stability and foster improved neighborly relations.
U.S. 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.
Turkey is planning to start flights to Syria's Damascus in the coming days, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Thursday.
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