By Ayo Kehinde
Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, has called for investigations into allegations of Israeli genocidal actions in Gaza.
According to Vatican News, the Holy See’s official news outlet, Pope Francis made the call in his new book “Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Towards a Better World”, which is due to be released on Tuesday, November 19.
He wrote, “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.
It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies”.
However, in a swift reaction on X, Yaron Sideman, Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, said there was a genocidal massacre of Isrealis during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and saw another 250 taken hostage
“There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens Since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defense against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens. Any attempt to call it by any other name is singling out the Jewish state,” said Sideman
The Pope Francis is the latest among a growing number of international figures and organizations to refer to Israel’s military operation in Gaza as a potential genocide.
Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza.
Also, a UN Special Committee report released last Thursday said Israel’s war conduct in Gaza “is consistent with the characteristics of genocide”, including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon.
