Pope Francis called for an investigation into what is currently happening in Gaza, to determine whether it could be considered a “genocide.” He made the comments in a book that will be released on November 19, 2024. Excerpts were published in the Italian daily La Stampa on November 17. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See has responded to the comments saying the country has the right to “self-defense.”
"According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” Pope Francis said in the book. “It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies."
On October 7, 2023, Hamas forces attacked Israel and killed 1,100 people and kidnapped 251, including women, children, and the elderly. According to The Times of Israel, 63 of these people are still currently being held hostage. The attack triggered a massive Israeli military response in the Gaza Strip - where the Hamas Ministry of Health claims 43,700 casualties.
The United Nations defines genocide as a “a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.”
On November 14 a United Nations special committee said that according to their findings “Israel’s warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide.”
“By destroying vital water, sanitation, and food systems, and contaminating the environment, Israel has created a lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come,” the report emphasizes.
The Pope's book is titled "Hope never disappoints. Pilgrims towards a better world" and was written with the journalist Hernán Reyes Alcaide in light of the 2025 Jubilee. It will be released on November 19 in Italy, Spain, and South America.
Israeli's reply
“There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens, and since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defense against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens,” the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, Yaron Sideman, posted on X on November 17, in response to the excerpts. “Any attempt to call it by any other name is singling out the Jewish State.”
Pope's call for peace
Since the beginning of the war, Pope Francis has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and asked for the release of the Israeli hostages.
On November 14 the Pontiff also received a group of 16 former hostages and relatives of Israeli hostages.
During a private meeting with Palestinians in November 2023, the Pope had - according to the participants - already used the word “genocide” when referring to the situation in Palestine. However, the Vatican immediately denied the claim. Pope Francis also calls the parish priest of the only Catholic Church in Gaza every day to ask about the conflict.
“War dehumanizes us"
The Holy See's diplomacy is careful not to favor one side or the other. This has not prevented the Pope from condemning the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza. “Defense must always be proportionate to the attack. When there is something disproportionate, it is evident that there is a domineering tendency that goes beyond morality,” Francis said in response to a question about the methods of the Israeli army, on the return flight from his trip to Belgium at the end of September.
On Sunday, November 17, during the Angelus prayer, the Pope asked Catholics to “pray for peace; in tormented Ukraine, in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Sudan.”
“War dehumanizes us, it induces us to tolerate unacceptable crimes. May leaders listen to the cry of the people who are asking for peace,” he said.
