Pope Leo XIV Urges Israel to Let Humanitarian Aid Enter Gaza
The pontiff laments that the blockade's "heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly and sick people."
This story has been updated.
By Gary Gately
Pope Leo XIV delivered a “heartfelt appeal” Wednesday for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, where the United Nations warns that the Israeli military’s 80-day blockade has pushed the entire population of 2.3 million people in the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine.
"The situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying and painful," Pope Leo said, speaking in St. Peter’s Square during his first general audience.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entrance of dignified humanitarian aid to Gaza and to put an end to the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly and sick people,” drawing applause from many of the 40,000 pilgrims in the piazza.
Before speaking in his native English, his fluent Spanish as well as Italian, Leo took a spin through the piazza in his popemobile, greeting the faithful and blessing some babies.
The first American pope opened the general audience with the same first public words he spoke from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after his May 8 election: “Peace be with you.”
As the new leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, the former Chicago Cardinal Robert F. Prevost has repeatedly delivered pleas for peace, particularly in Gaza and Ukraine. Leo did not mention the war between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday.
In several public appearances since his election, including in his first Sunday message on May 11, Leo has called for Israel to allow aid to flow into Gaza and for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all Israeli hostages held by the militant Islamist group Hamas.
On Wednesday, the 69-year-old pontiff’s brief remarks about Gaza came at the end of the weekly general audience, in which popes have for decades shared reflections on Scriptures and often offered comments on current events.
His comments on Gaza Wednesday came two days after Israel drew harsh condemnation from key Western allies over the escalation of its offensive and its blockade.
The UK, France and Canada issued a joint statement threatening “concrete actions” against Israel, including targeted sanctions. “The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable,” the statement said. “We call on the Israeli government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.”
Israel’s latest offensive has killed at least 86 people in Gaza in a 24-hour span, and hundreds over the past few days, the territory’s health ministry said Wednesday.
The Israel military said it had allowed about 100 aid trucks carrying flour, baby food and medical equipment into Gaza Strip Wednesday.
But UN officials said Wednesday that none of the aid had reached Palestinians as the Israeli military intensified its attacks and looted products are being looted on the black market at exorbitant prices.
The UN said the entire population of Gaza is at risk of famine, and 1 in 5 Gazans faces possible starvation, according to food security experts from the UN-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform.
The UN estimated Monday that nearly 100,000 Palestinians had been displaced in a four-day span, many with no safe place to flee, after Israel expanded its ground invasion. Since mid-May, UN partners estimated, more than 138,000 people have been displaced in Gaza.
And on Tuesday, Elizabeth Funnell, country representative for the Middle East at the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said in a statement: “Bombing and starving a population and restricting their access to aid is a violation of international law…. The blockade must end, and rapid, safe and unimpeded aid must flow freely.”
Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, had harshly criticized Israel for its military offensive and blockade in the months before he died April 21 at age 88.
During a September 2024 press conference aboard the papal plane heading back to the Vatican from Belgium, Francis denounced Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon as “immoral” and disproportionate and said they went beyond the rules of war.
And in November 2024, the Vatican released excerpts of a forthcoming book in which Francis said allegations that Israel has committed “genocide” in Gaza should be “carefully investigated.”
Francis’ criticisms of Israel drew outrage from many Jewish leaders and officials in Israel’s government, who accused him of antisemitism and distorting the nation’s military campaign in Gaza that began after the October 7, 2003, terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas militants. The attack left more than 1,200 people dead, mostly Israeli civilians, and 250 were abducted, 58 of them still captive, including 20 Israeli officials say are still believed to be alive. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
Unlike many nations, Israel sent no high-level officials to Francis’ funeral, only its Vatican ambassador.
But raising hopes of improved relations with the new pope, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and a delegation of 13 Jewish officials, including Rome’s chief rabbi, attended Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass Sunday. The following day, Leo met with Jewish leaders at the Vatican.
“Because of the Jewish roots of Christianity, all Christians have a special relationship with Judaism,” Leo told the Jewish leaders. “The theological dialogue between Christians and Jews remains ever important and close to my heart. Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours.”
Loe’s general audience came a day after he confirmed to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni his willingness to host at the Vatican the next round of negotiations aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, the PM’s office said.
Also Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump posted on social media after a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin: “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.” Trump added that “the Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations."
