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
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would control the whole of Gaza despite mounting international pressure that pushed it to lift a blockade on aid supplies that has left the enclave on the brink of famine.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reignited controversy by calling for Israel’s exclusion from international cultural events, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, citing the country's ongoing military operations in Gaza.
Israel's spy agency Mossad has recovered a trove of documents and photographs belonging to its late agent Eli Cohen, who was hanged in a downtown Damascus square six decades ago after collecting intelligence on Syrian military plans.
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