Vatican City — In a searing rebuke of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, condemned what he described as “barbaric” and indiscriminate violence inflicted upon Palestinian civilians. The Pope’s statement followed reports of mass killings at aid distribution centers and an airstrike on Gaza’s only Catholic church that left multiple civilians dead, including parish staff.
Addressing the global community from Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Pope issued what many are calling the strongest Vatican condemnation of the Israeli government in years. “Protecting civilians and safeguarding places of worship are not optional, they are international obligations,” he said. “To deny food, target congregations, and obliterate sanctuaries is to desecrate both human dignity and the laws that bind nations.”
The pontiff’s condemnation came hours after reports confirmed at least 93 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attack on food aid convoys in northern Gaza. Eyewitnesses and international observers described a scene of carnage as hundreds of hungry civilians gathered near Zikim to receive humanitarian supplies, only to be fired upon. Similar strikes were also reported near Rafah and Khan Younis, compounding a pattern of systemic starvation tactics.
In a move that outraged both faith-based and secular humanitarian agencies, an Israeli airstrike also targeted the Church of the Holy Family, Gaza’s last operational Catholic sanctuary. The blast killed at least three people and wounded over ten, including the church’s parish priest. Vatican officials stated the attack was “unprovoked and unjustifiable,” especially given that the church was not located near any known military infrastructure.
In an unmistakable diplomatic escalation, Israel’s Interior Ministry revoked the residency permit of a senior UN humanitarian official critical of Israeli conduct in Gaza. This retaliatory step was widely interpreted as a warning to other international agencies seeking to document or criticize the unfolding catastrophe.
The Israeli military has since ordered evacuations of central Gaza, including in Deir al-Balah, prompting another round of mass displacement. With shelters already overwhelmed and food supplies nearly depleted, the evacuations have turned desperation into chaos. Local observers say the infrastructure has collapsed entirely, leaving families to sleep in the rubble of former hospitals, mosques, and schools.
The Gaza Health Ministry now estimates that nearly 61,200 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli assault reignited in October 2023. More than 141,000 others have been wounded, the majority of whom are women and children. The Pope’s statement, which urged “an immediate ceasefire and unconditional access to humanitarian corridors,” marks a rare direct challenge to Israel’s justification of its military attacks.
According to The Guardian, the Pope implored the international community to reject “collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force, and forced displacement,” demanding that world leaders prioritize an end to what he described as a campaign of “suffering, siege, and sacrilege.”
