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
Gaza's main border crossing in Rafah will reopen for Palestinians on Monday, Israel said, with preparations underway at the war-ravaged enclave's main gateway that has been largely shut for almost two years.
Yemen's Iran‑aligned Houthi paramilitary has removed critical telecommunications equipment belonging to the U.N., the global body said on Friday, warning that further restrictions on its work would fuel a worsening humanitarian crisis
Iran plans to designate the armed forces of European Union countries that have blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as "terrorists", according to a post by top Iranian security official Ali Larijani on X.
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