In His First General Address, Pope Leo Called On Israel To Urgently Allow Aid Into Gaza And End Its Genocide
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities, the agonizing price of which is paid by children, the elderly and the sick.”
In his first general address, Pope Leo XIV called on Israel to urgently allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and end its genocide.
Israel has been blocking all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza since March 2, leaving 2.3 million Palestinians on the brink of famine.
On Monday, May 19, after facing immense international pressure, Israel finally allowed five trucks to enter into Gaza for the first time in 80 days, far short of the 600 trucks needed to even begin tackling the humanitarian disaster in Gaza caused by Israel’s blockade, adding that it would only allow “basic” aid to enter Gaza.
During his first weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City on Wednesday, May 21, Leo called Israel’s war in Gaza “increasingly worrying and painful,” saying, “I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities, the agonizing price of which is paid by children, the elderly and the sick.”
His appeal to Israel came just after the UK, France and Canada jointly condemned Israel in a statement on May 19, saying they are not afraid to add sanctions if Israel doesn’t stop its intensified military offensive in Gaza and end its blockade.
Leo has called before on his first Sunday address on May 11, for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged for humanitarian aid to reach the “exhausted civilian population” and the release of all hostages, saying he is “deeply saddened by what is happening in Gaza.”
Pope Francis, who died on April 21, has condemned the genocide in Gaza on several occasions and labeled Israel’s actions “terrorism”, calling for an immediate ceasefire during his last message on April 20.
Israeli authorities claim up to 93 trucks entered Gaza but aid agencies confirm only a handful have crossed, and virtually none of the aid has reached civilians due to Israel’s restrictions, according to Al Jazeera.
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said on Tuesday, May 20, that 14,000 babies could die in Gaza within 48 hours unless immediate aid reaches them.
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