Thursday, 22 May 2025
Thursday, 22 May 2025
Pope Leo XIV issued a plea from St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, calling for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza as Israeli airstrikes overnight killed at least 45 people, including women and a week-old infant.
Pope Leo XIV warned that “the devastating price” is being paid by children, the elderly, and the sick.
"I renew my fervent appeal to allow for the entry of fair humanitarian help and to bring to an end the hostilities, the devastating price of which is paid by children, the elderly and the sick," said Leo, elected as the new Pope on May 8.
In his first weeks as the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, has mentioned the situation in Gaza repeatedly.
In his first Sunday message on May 11, he called for an immediate ceasefire and for the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Pope's remarks come a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer paused free trade talks with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador to London, citing concerns over the situation in Gaza.
Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 45 people, including several women and a week-old infant. Israel began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into Gaza on Tuesday, but the aid has not yet reached Palestinians in desperate need, according to aid groups.
The UAE has announced it would send urgent aid to Gaza after a phone call between foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.
The initial aid is meant to support 15,000 people with food and infant care.
International pressure on Israel has been rising as complaints mount about the lack of aid reaching the Palestinian enclave and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched a renewed military offensive.
On Tuesday, European Union foreign ministers held a meeting in Brussels where the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said they would review the EU-Israel association agreement.
"The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it's a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately, without obstruction and at scale, because this is what is needed," she said.
The situation in Gaza continues to be grim, according to ground reports.
In Jabalia, northern Gaza, 39-year-old Mahmoud al-Haw waited in a panicked crowd for a plate of lentil soup. "I've been here since eight in the morning, just to get one plate for six people while it is not enough for one person," he said to Reuters.
Haw scours the ruins daily for food. His children, he says, are starving. "I have a sick daughter. I can't provide her with anything. There is no bread, there is nothing."
When he returns to their one-room apartment, he divides the soup into small tin bowls for his four children and his brother’s two children. "Thank God, as you can see, this is breakfast, lunch and dinner, thank God." The day before, they had nothing.
"I wish everyone would stand by us. Our children are dying slowly," said Haw.
Even before the war, Haw's family struggled. His niece uses a wheelchair. His daughter has heart disease and bronchial asthma.
The United Nations says aid has begun entering Gaza, but none of it had been distributed as of Tuesday night. Stéphane Dujarric, a UN spokesperson, said workers had to reload supplies onto separate trucks under Israeli military orders and ran out of time to complete distribution.
The Israeli military said it would allow dozens of trucks per day through the Kerem Shalom crossing, but this is far below the 600 daily trucks that entered during the most recent ceasefire.
Israeli officials say the blockade is aimed at preventing Hamas from seizing aid, a claim the group denied.
But even with limited supplies entering, the risk of famine remains high. According to Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian agency, approval was given for around 100 trucks to enter Gaza. The aid included baby food, flour for bakeries, and supplies for soup kitchens.
As Israel intensified military operations against Hamas, the humanitarian crisis deepens. The war, now in its 20th month, began with the Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage. In response, Israel launched an air and ground assault across Gaza.
