Israel summons Vatican envoy over pope’s Gaza comments – media

The pontiff has condemned the deaths of Palestinian civilians

The Vatican’s ambassador has been summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry after Pope Francis criticized the “cruelty” of airstrikes in Gaza, several Israeli media outlets reported on Wednesday. 

According to the news website Ynet, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana was summoned for a conversation with Foreign Ministry Director General Eyal Bar-Tal on Tuesday. Bar-Tal condemned the remarks made by the pope, but did not formally reprimand Yllana, the reports said.

The pope renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of Christmas, highlighting the civilian death toll from Israeli airstrikes.

“This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart,” he said, according to Reuters.

Last month, the Vatican News cited the pontiff as writing in his forthcoming book that the allegations of genocide committed by the Israeli army against the Palestinians “should be carefully investigated.” 

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West Jerusalem has dismissed the accusations of genocide, insisting that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was using civilians as human shields. “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 Foreign Ministry said in a statement last month. 

“Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this,” Israeli diplomats said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the operation in Gaza will continue until Israel eliminates the threat from Hamas.

More than 45,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023 and nearly 90% of residents of the Palestinian enclave have been displaced, according to local authorities and the UN.

The war was triggered on October 7, 2023 when Hamas and allied groups carried out a surprise attack on Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Around 100 Israelis are still believed to be held in Gaza.