Pope Leo asks Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, describing the situation in the Palestinian enclave as "disturbing and shocking."

"I renew my fervent appeal to allow the entry of just humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the devastating price of which is being paid by children, the elderly and the sick," the new pope said in St. Peter's Square.

Leo - who was elected pope on May 8, succeeding the late Pope Francis - has mentioned the war in Gaza several times in the first weeks of his papacy.

He made the plea at the end of his speech to the audience, adding a few words beyond the prepared text. In his first message on Sunday, May 11, Pope Leo called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages being held by the militant group Hamas — which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.

Israel said on Monday it would allow aid into Gaza after an 11-week blockade of the enclave, but the United Nations said no aid had been delivered as of Tuesday.

Israel has said it aims to intensify military operations against Hamas and take control of all of Gaza, which has been devastated by an Israeli air and ground war since Hamas launched attacks on Israeli communities in October 2023.

It says the blockade is aimed, in part, at preventing Palestinian militants from diverting and confiscating humanitarian aid. Hamas has denied this.

Francis, who died on April 21, had increased his criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza in the months before his death.

He called the situation in the enclave "very serious and shameful" in January, two months after saying the international community should investigate whether genocide against the Palestinian people had occurred.

Reflecting the cooling of relations between the Vatican and Israel following Francis' criticism, Israel, unlike many other countries, did not send a senior official to the funeral of the late pope, but only its ambassador to the Vatican.

In a possible sign of a restoration of relations with the new pope, Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended Leo's inaugural mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.

The Israeli army resumed the offensive in March, breaking a ceasefire that had enabled the release of more than 30 hostages.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Israel says 59 hostages remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to be dead.

Israel's war has killed more than 53,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials .