Pope Francis wants to investigate whether genocide is being committed in Gaza

2024-11-17 19:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Pope Francis for the first time has spoken about the accusations that Israel is committing "genocide" against the Palestinians in Gaza. In his forthcoming book, he has called for further investigation into whether Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip amount to the crime of genocide.

In the book entitled "Hope never disappoints." Pilgrims to a better world," the Pope talks about the war in Gaza that began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas - the Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - attacked southern Israel.

"According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide," the head of the Catholic Church wrote in the extract published on November 17 by the Italian daily, La Stampa.

"This should be studied carefully in order to determine whether the situation corresponds to the definition formulated by the jurists of international organizations," he added.

The Pope has often criticized the high death toll caused by Israel's military operations in Gaza, with the Gaza Ministry of Health saying nearly 44,000 people have been killed since the war began, most of them civilians.

But his call to investigate whether genocide is being committed in Gaza marks the first time the pope has mentioned the term genocide in the context of Israel's military operations in Palestinian territory.

Earlier in the week, a special United Nations committee said Israel's war methods in Gaza "coincide with features of genocide", accusing Israel of "using starvation as a method of war".

These conclusions have been contested by the US, Israel's main backer.

However, this is not the first time Israel has faced accusations of genocide since the war began.

South Africa has initiated a genocide case before the International Court of Justice, and the suit has been supported by several countries, including Turkey, Spain and Mexico.

Pope Francis has repeatedly called for the release of the hostages that Hamas took during the attack on Israel.

During the attack on October 7 last year, Hamas killed nearly 1,200 people and kidnapped nearly 250 others. Close to 100 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza./ REL