(LifeSiteNews) — In a Monday telephone call with State of Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, Pope Leo XIV restated his demand for immediate humanitarian aid to be admitted into the Gaza Strip to feed the starving population, and condemned the use of indiscriminate force against civilians and Israel’s U.S.-backed ethnic cleansing of the native Palestinian population.

The morning call was initiated by Abbas and according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the two heads of state discussed “recent developments in the conflict in the Gaza Strip and violence in the West Bank.”

READ: Holy Land bishops urge Christians worldwide to help defend faithful from Israeli settler attacks

“During the telephone call, the Holy Father repeated his appeal for international humanitarian law to be fully respected, emphasizing in particular the obligation to protect civilians and sacred places, the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and of the forced transfer of the population,” the statement reads.

Last Thursday, Israel bombed the only Catholic church in Gaza, killing at least three and injuring 10 others, “including one in critical condition and two in serious condition,” according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

One of the injuries included Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, who with Missionaries of Charity sisters has been serving the approximately 600 Gazans sheltering in the facility, including many children, around 50 of whom have disabilities.

Such hostilities from Israel against the Palestinian people were given explicit voice when in February, U.S. President Donald Trump surprised the world at a joint press conference with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu announcing his plan for the United States to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip. He also expressed the joint intent of these leaders to expel the Palestinians from Gaza “permanently,” thus fulfilling this long-time Zionist goal, and setting the stage for another prolonged illegal occupation and extended war in the Middle East.

READ: Expelling the Palestinian people has always been a goal of Zionism

A week later the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, including Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, issued a joint statement indirectly rebuking Trump’s proposal to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza from what they called “the land of their forefathers.”

“The people of Gaza, families who have lived for generations in the land of their ancestors, must not be forced into exile, stripped of whatever is left of their homes, their heritage, and the right to remain in the land that forms the essence of their identity,” the statement said.

READ: Christian leaders in the Holy Land rebuke Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians

Pope Leo XIV also addressed “the tragic humanitarian situation” unfolding in Gaza due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave. The Health Ministry on Sunday reported a significant increase in deaths due to malnutrition, saying it recorded 18 in the previous 24 hours. The agency stated in a previous release they had “recorded a total of 86 deaths due to hunger and malnutrition, including 10 adults and 70 children,” according to a report from Antiwar.com.

“This is a silent massacre, and the Ministry of Health holds the (Israeli) occupation and the international community responsible,” the ministry wrote. “We demand the immediate opening of the crossings to allow the entry of food and medicine.”

According to the Holy See communiqué, Pope Leo XIV expressed the same pressing concern emphasizing “the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarian aid.”

Lastly, “the Holy Father recalled the auspicious tenth anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on 26 June 2015” said the Holy See’s statement.

This commemoration marks one of the milestones in a long line of public expressions of support for the Palestinian cause from Catholic prelates in the Holy Land, the Holy See, and around the world. The unanimous and constant voice of these spiritual leaders has demanded an end to the “sin” of Israel’s ongoing illegal 58-year military occupation of internationally recognized Palestinian territory, which is seen as the “root” aggression of the seemingly perennial conflict.

“It is only by ending decades of occupation and its tragic consequences, as well as giving a clear and secure national perspective to the Palestinian people that a serious peace process can begin,” assessed Pizzaballa in October 2023. “Unless this problem is solved at its root, there will never be the stability we all hope for.”

READ: How do Christians in the Holy Land understand the Israeli occupation of Palestine?

A documented genocide, conservative estimates of over 295,000 dead

As Israel continues to massacre and starve Palestinian civilians on a daily basis, reliable reports of Palestinian deaths number at least 59,029, including 17,400 children, at a confirmed minimum, with at least 142,135 people injured, including over 10,000 children who have lost at least one leg. These dead do not include around 14,000 who are missing and presumed dead and buried under the rubble.

READ: Gaza releases names of 15,000+ children killed by Israel since October 2023

According to a rationale presented in a Lancet study in July 2024, one can conservatively estimate total deaths, including indirect fatalities due to causes like starvation, lack of medicine or proper medical care, to include 295,145 (129,863 children).

Last December, advocacy groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International released extensive reports concluding Israeli authorities were deliberately seeking to bring about the destruction of the people of Gaza by various means, including the deprivation of necessities like water, food, energy and medical care, amounting to crimes of genocide.

READ: Genocide ‘only reasonable conclusion’ to Israel’s crimes in Gaza: Amnesty International

Additionally, in January 2024, the International Court of Justice delivered a preliminary ruling finding the charge of genocide against Israel to be “plausible,” and last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes,” including “starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

In addition to the Holy See, 147 of 193 (76%) of the member governments of the United Nations formally recognize the State of Palestine.

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