Pope Leo XIV reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of all hostages and for leaders on both sides of the war to “fully” respect international humanitarian law.
“From #Gaza, the cries of parents rise to heaven ever more intensely as they clutch the lifeless bodies of their children, searching for food and shelter from bombs,” the pontiff said in a Wednesday morning post on social platform X. “I renew my appeal to leaders: cease fire, release all hostages, and fully respect international humanitarian law!”
Leo — who was elected as pope on May 8, becoming the first American pontiff — has appealed for conflicts in the Middle East and eastern Europe to end.
“I, too, address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,’” Leo said May 11, calling for peace in Gaza and in the ongoing three-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Leo denounced recent Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Leo’s calls for peace come as thousands of Palestinians rushed into a new aid distribution center in the south of the war-torn enclave Tuesday. The center, which began its work this week, is operated by the U.S. backed-Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and is set up to distribute food packages.
So far, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has dished out around 8,000 food boxes, a senior U.S. administration official said Tuesday.
“Each box feeds 5.5 people for 3.5 days, totaling 462,000 meals,” the official said.
Israel previously had an 11-week aid blockade in place.
The United Nations said it would not be involved in the work of the organization, arguing it does not adhere to its principles of independence and neutrality.
The foundation’s executive director, Jake Wood, resigned from his post Sunday, pointing to a lack of independence.
“It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” Wood said in a statement to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
