Pope Francis reflected on the devastating consequences of the Gaza war in an address at the Vatican on Saturday, expressing deep sorrow over the bombing of children in the Gaza Strip the previous day.

During his traditional Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia December 21, 2024, Pope Francis criticized what he sees as Israel’s failure to respect the rules of war in the Palestinian enclave.

Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

Pope Francis condemned the bombing of children in Gaza, calling it “cruelty,” following reports of an Israeli airstrike killing seven children. Israel accused the Pope of ignoring its fight against terrorism and displaying double standards.

I think of Gaza with great sorrow; so much cruelty, children hit by machine guns, schools and hospitals bombed,’ pontiff says - Anadolu Ajansı

The pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli air strikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff.

Pope Francis doubled down Sunday on his condemnation of Israel's strikes on the Gaza Strip, denouncing their "cruelty" for the second time in as many days despite Israel accusing him

Pope Francis on Saturday condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as "cruelty", sparking a sharp response from Israel which accused him of double standards.In a recently published book the pope called for a "careful" study as to whether the situation in Gaza "corresponds to the technical definition" of genocide,