Pope Francis calls for investigation on claims of Gaza genocide

Pope Francis, on November 17, 2024, called for an investigation to ascertain whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

According to report, this is the first time he addressed the topic in passages taken from an upcoming book.

The pope stated in quotes that “according to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide”.

This was as contained in a release by the Italian daily La Stampa on Sunday.

“We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies”, he continued.

The book, Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims towards a Better World, was written by Hernan Reyes Alcaide.

It is based on interviews with the pope.

It will be made public on Tuesday in advance of the pope’s jubilee in 2025.

This is anticipated to draw over 30 million pilgrims to Rome for celebration.

According to the territory’s ministry of health, 43,846 individuals have died in Israel’s conflict in Gaza.

The majority of whom were civilians.

The Argentine pope has repeatedly expressed regret over the death toll.

However, his request for an investigation is the first time he has used the word “genocide” in reference to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, even if he does not support its use.

Later on Sunday, Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican, Yaron Sideman, responded in a post on X.

“There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens, and since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defence against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens”, said the statement.

“Any attempt to call it by any other name is singling out the Jewish State”.

The Israeli offensive, however, has been described by activists and Palestinian allies as a “war of vengeance” that has destroyed the Gaza Strip.

On criticism

A number of cases have been brought before international courts at The Hague as a result of the war in Gaza.

These cases reportedly involve demands for arrest warrants, allegations and denials of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Israel was accused by a United Nations special committee on Thursday of “using starvation as a method of war”.

The committee further deemed Israel’s actions in Gaza “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”.

The United States has already denounced its findings.

With assistance from Turkey, Spain, and Mexico, among other nations, South Africa filed a genocide complaint before the International Court of Justice.

The court’s judges ruled in January that Israel must make sure its soldiers don’t carry out any crimes of genocide.

The central question of the lawsuit has not yet been decided by the court.

This is whether or not genocide has taken place in Gaza, according to source.

Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members.

Francis has typically emphasized de-escalation.

He avoided taking sides in international disputes.

However, he has become more vocal in his criticism of Israel’s actions throughout its conflict with the Palestinians.

He denounced Israeli strikes in Gaza in September that killed Palestinian youngsters.

Additionally, he harshly criticized Israel for its airstrikes in Lebanon, saying they went “beyond morality”.

Francis has never before publicly referred to the situation in Gaza as a genocide.

However, he became embroiled in a contentious debate.

This was after a meeting with a group of Palestinians at the Vatican last year.

The Palestinians claimed he had used the phrase with them in private, while the Vatican denied this.

Pope Francis has also repeatedly demanded that the Israeli prisoners who were captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, be returned.

The Israeli army claims that 34 of the 251 persons who were abducted that day are dead, and 97 of them are still detained in Palestinian territory.

Following months of imprisonment in Gaza, 16 former prisoners were released and presented to the pope on Thursday.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook