Palestinians ride in the back of animal-drawn carts in the Mawasi area of Rafah on Sunday as such vehicles become the main means of transport due to the scarcity of fuel in the Israel-besieged Gaza — AFP GANDOLFO, July 20 (AFP/Reuters): Pope Leo XIV slammed the "barbarity" of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the "indiscriminate use of force", just days after a deadly strike by Israel's military on a Catholic church.
"I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict," Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer, after three people were killed on Thursday at the territory's only Catholic church.
The Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Sunday in areas of central Gaza packed with displaced Palestinians where it hasn't operated so far in its war with Hamas, while medics said at least 30 people were killed waiting for aid as hunger mounts.
The military evacuation demand, which could signal an imminent attack on neighbourhoods in Deir al-Balah, alarmed the families of Israeli hostages, who fear their relatives are being held there.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation.
Health officials at Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza said at least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others wounded by Israeli fire as crowds gathered to await the entry of UN aid trucks. Israel's military said it was checking the report.
Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries.
"We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger," the health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said.
The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid.
The Israeli military dropped leaflets from the sky ordering people in several districts in southwest Deir al-Balah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering, to leave their homes and head further south.
"The (Israeli) Defense Forces continues to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area," the military said, adding that it had not entered these districts during the current conflict.
Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to still be alive.
© 2025 - All Rights with The Financial Express
