Pope Francis urges respect for humanitarian law in Gaza

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged respect for humanitarian law in Gaza amid growing violence in the region.

"In Gaza there is an urgent need to guarantee humanitarian corridors and to rescue the entire population," Francis said during his Sunday Angelus address, referring to the embattled Gaza Strip, where Israel has cut off water, electricity, and humanitarian aid, and also is not allowing residents to leave.

He also urged both Israel and Palestine to halt violence and spilling "innocent blood."

The pontiff also renewed his call for the release of hostages taken in the conflict, and added: "I strongly demand that children, the elderly, women and all civilians are not victims of the conflict."

"Please do not shed any more innocent blood, neither in the Holy Land, nor in Ukraine, nor anywhere else! Enough! Wars are always a defeat, always!" Francis said.

Since it began on Oct. 7, both sides in the conflict have decried the spilling of the blood of civilians, minors, and non-combatants.

Francis also invited all believers to join the church on Tuesday for a Day of Prayer and Fasting.

Last weekend, in a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering over 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern strip within 24 hours.