Pope Francis calls for an end to the fighting in Israel and Gaza

Today, Sunday, Pope Francis called for an end to the fighting in Israel and Gaza, saying: “It is unacceptable that so many innocent lives have been lost during the past few days, including children.”

Pope Francis said in his weekly prayer sermon in St. Peter’s Square, “I call for calm, and for those responsible to stop the noise of weapons and follow the path of peace,” according to Reuters.

Pope Francis noted that “the violent clashes between Israel and the Gaza Strip resulted in the death of many innocent people, especially children.”
He said, “A lot of innocent people have died, and there are children among them too. This is horrific … unacceptable. Their death is a sign that people do not want to build a future, but rather destroy it … I wonder where the hatred and revenge will lead?”

Officials in the health sector in Gaza said, “The Israeli air strikes killed 33 Palestinians today, Sunday, in the Gaza Strip, including 13 children.”

The source added, “This brought the total number of dead in the Gaza Strip to 181 Palestinians, including 52 children. Israel announced that it had 10 dead, including two children.”

Tensions have escalated in the Gaza Strip and Israel, due to the events in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem since the first week of Ramadan.