VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis doubled down Sunday on his condemnation of Israel’s strikes on the Gaza Strip, denouncing their “cruelty” for the second time in as many days despite Israel accusing him of “double standards.”
“And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty,” the pope said after his weekly Angelus prayer.
It comes a day after the 88-year-old Argentine lamented an Israeli airstrike that killed seven children from one family on Friday, according to Gaza’s rescue agency.
“Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war,” the pope told members of the government of the Holy See.
His remarks on Saturday prompted a sharp response from Israel.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman described Francis’s intervention as “particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism — a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7.”
“Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people,” he added.
“Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them,” the Israeli statement said.
This was a reference to the Hamas Palestinian militants who attacked Israel, killed many civilians and took hostages on October 7, 2023, triggering the Gaza war.
The unprecedented attack resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
That toll includes hostages who died or were killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
At least 45,259 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in the Palestinian territory, the majority of them civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Those figures are taken as reliable by the United Nations.
Pope Francis again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Israeli strikes on Gaza
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Pope Francis again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Comes a day after the pontiff lamented an Israeli airstrike that killed seven children from one family on Friday
- ‘And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty’
UN delegation wraps up Lebanon visit with call for international backing for country at 'pivotal’ juncture
- Security Council President Samuel Zbogar urges intensified support for Lebanese Armed Forces; welcomes government commitment to ensuring a state monopoly on arms
- Council highlights ‘strong commitment’ to Lebanon’s stability, territorial independence
NEW YORK: A UN Security Council delegation wrapped up its visit to Lebanon on Friday, saying the trip underscored international backing for the country at what it described as a pivotal moment for maintaining calm along its southern border and advancing implementation of long-standing UN resolutions.
Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia’s ambassador to the UN and president of the Security Council for December, said the delegation had received “warm hospitality” from Lebanese officials, and highlighted the council’s “strong commitment” to Lebanon’s stability and that of the wider region.
“The council regularly deliberates on the situation in Lebanon and along the Blue Line,” Zbogar told reporters in Beirut.
He said the visit is a further demonstration of the council’s commitment, coming at a pivotal time for implementing relevant resolutions and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah brokered in November 2024.
During the trip, the delegation held meetings with Lebanon’s president, parliament speaker, prime minister and foreign minister.
Members were also briefed by the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, UN officials in Lebanon, and a US general involved in the ceasefire mechanism.
The delegation also toured the Blue Line area and UNIFIL headquarters.
Zbogar said discussions focused on Lebanon’s political, economic, and security situation, with particular attention to UNIFIL’s work and the Lebanese Armed Force’s role in maintaining stability.
“This mission is a demonstration of the international community’s support for Lebanon and its people,” he said, reaffirming the council’s backing for the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence.
He urged all parties to uphold last year’s ceasefire agreement and noted “progress achieved by Lebanon this year.” He also praised UNIFIL and the UN Special Coordinator’s office for their role in de-escalation efforts, adding that the safety of peacekeepers “must be respected and they must never be targeted.”
Zbogar called for intensified international support to the Lebanese Armed Forces, including for their continued deployment south of the Litani River, and welcomed the government’s commitment to ensuring a state monopoly on arms.
He said the council also used the visit to examine options for implementing Resolution 1701 once UNIFIL leaves Lebanon, saying that the issue will require “thorough conversation during 2026” and that members were awaiting recommendations from the UN secretary-general.
The delegation also reiterated support for Lebanon’s economic and institutional reforms, which international donors have made a condition for unlocking major recovery and reconstruction assistance.
