image1
Pope Francis looks on to lead the prayer from his window, at the Vatican, December 17, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)

Pope Francis has condemned Israel for using "terrorism" tactics during its aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The pontiff deplored the recent killing by the Israeli military of two Christian women who had taken refuge in a church complex at his weekly address at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.

"I continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza," said the Pope.

"Unarmed civilians are the objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened even inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick or disabled, nuns," he said.

"Some would say ’It is war. It is terrorism.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism," he said.

Francis referred to a statement about an incident on Saturday by the Latin Patriarchate of al-Quds, the Catholic authority in the holy city.

The Patriarchate said an Israeli military sniper killed the two women, whom the pope named Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar, as they walked to a convent of nuns in the compound of the Holy Family Parish.

Seven other people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others.

The Patriarchate’s statement also said that a convent of nuns of the order founded by Mother Teresa was damaged by Israeli tank fire.

In October, the Pope called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to allow the delivery of essentials to the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been under heavy Israeli bombardment.

The Pope back then strongly urged "that children, the sick, the elderly, women and all civilians should not fall victim to the conflict".

Israel has launched new airstrikes on the Gaza Strip with the genocidal war in its 72nd day.

At least two dozen Palestinians were killed after Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building in Jabaliya Balad in the northern Gaza Strip. The attack left 100 others injured.

A dozen others were also killed in Israeli strikes on the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Air raids also targeted the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south. The death toll among Palestinians in Gaza is now near 19,000 with more than 50,000 injured.

The territory also remains under a communications blackout. Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has left much of the territory in ruins, with the UN estimating that 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced.

Israeli indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza has left no safe place for civilians. Now Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah are recounting the challenges they are facing.

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for a UN probe into reports that Israeli forces in Gaza bulldozed medical tents with injured Palestinians inside, burying civilians alive.

The US-based advocacy group says the incident took place on Saturday at Kamal Adwan Hospital.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has also called for an immediate investigation into the actions of the Israeli army at the hospital.

The courtyard of the Kamal Adwan medical facility also contained dozens of tents set up by refugees.

The hospital has been under direct siege for nine days in a row, with reports of Israeli forces shooting at anything in its vicinity.

The structure now appears to be almost destroyed.

One of Israel’s main tactics in its onslaught on Gaza has been to systematically target hospitals, not just to make them dysfunctional, but also to stop Gazans from seeking refuge inside them.