The pope said that he has been following “what is happening in Israel and Palestine with tears and apprehension.” After Hamas’ attack on Israel killed 1,000 people, the Israeli government vowed retaliation and launched airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Francis said: “It is the right of those who are attacked to defend themselves, but I am very worried about the total siege in which the Palestinians live in Gaza, where there have been many innocent victims.”
“The Middle East does not need war, but peace, a peace built on justice, dialogue, and the courage of fraternity,” he added.
The appeal was the second time that Pope Francis has spoken publicly about the war in Israel since the surprise attack last weekend.
On Sunday, the pope prayed for peace between Israel and Palestine and expressed sorrow that “violence has exploded even more ferociously” between the two, words that drew criticism from Israel’s Embassy to the Holy See, which issued a statement warning against “the use of linguistic ambiguities and terms that allude to a false symmetry.”
The pope also spoke over the telephone with a Catholic priest who serves the only Catholic Church in Gaza on Oct. 9, according to the news agency of the Italian bishops’ conference.