Pope Leo XIV received this morning a telephone call from Mahmoud Abbas, president of the state of Palestine, according to the press office of the Holy See.
The dialogue revolved around the serious humanitarian situation caused by the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the increase in violence in the West Bank.
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Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, thousands of civilians have died and more than one million people have been displaced in Gaza.
The Israeli army perpetrated on July 17 an attack against the parish of the Sagrada Familia de Gaza, the only Catholic Church of the Strip and that was used as a refuge for more than 500 people since the beginning of the war.
The attack caused the death of three people and left a dozen injured, some of them seriously.
During the Angelus of yesterday, Leo XIV requested that “international humanitarian law” be fulfilled and, therefore, “the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of strength and the forced displacement of the population.”
For its part, in the West Bank, military operations, mass arrests and attacks on Palestinian communities have intensified.
During the conversation with the Palestinian President, the Holy Father reiterated his firm call to full respect for international humanitarian law.
He stressed in particular the obligation to protect the civilian population and the sacred places, as well as the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of the force and the forced transfer of the inhabitants.
Faced with the dramatic humanitarian emergency in the region, both leaders agreed on the urgency of guaranteeing safe access to humanitarian aid to the affected population.
Pope Leo XIV also recalled the significant commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the global agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on June 26, 2015 and in force since January 2, 2016.
The treaty formally recognizes Palestine as a sovereign state and regulates the relations between the Catholic Church and the Palestinian authorities, underlining the importance of respect for religious freedom and dignity of people.
It should be remembered that, after last Thursday’s attack on the parish of Gaza, the Holy Father received a phone call from Benjamín Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
During the conversation, the Pope renewed his call to urgently reactivate the negotiation process, in order to reach a high fire and end the war.
He also reiterated the urgency of protecting places of worship and, above all, to the faithful and all the people who live both in Palestine and Israel.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
Graduated in journalism and advertising from the CEU San Pablo University of Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. It has been a senior correspondent for ACI Press and Ewtn News at the Vatican for two years and is currently a correspondent for Europe based on Spain.