JAKARTA - Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday asked Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The Pope said the situation in the Palestinian territories was increasingly worrying and sad.
"I again sincerely beg to allow the entry of fair humanitarian aid and end hostilities, which are very expensive and must be paid by children, parents and sick people," the Pope said at a weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.
Leo, former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected leader of the Catholic Church on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis. He mentioned the situation in Gaza several times in his early papal days.
In its first Sunday message on May 11, the new whale called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all Israeli hostages detained by the Hamas militant group.
Israel said on Monday it would allow aid to enter Gaza after an 11-week blockade in the area.
But the United Nations says no aid has been distributed until Tuesday.
Pope Leo's petition came a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government had temporarily suspended free trade negotiations with Israel and summoned Israel's ambassador to Britain over the situation in Gaza.
SEE ALSO:
Israel says it plans to intensify military operations against Hamas and to control the entire Gaza, which has been destroyed by Israeli air and land warfare since the Hamas cross-border attack on the Israeli community in October 2023.
Israel said its blockade was aimed partially at preventing Palestinian militants from diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas denies doing so.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
