Israel calls in Vatican representative following Pope's remarks on Gaza, according to reports
Israel has reportedly called upon a Vatican envoy to address Pope Francis' remarks concerning Gaza. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Vatican has summoned its ambassador to the Israeli Foreign Ministry following Pope Francis's criticism of the "cruelty" involved in the airstrikes on Gaza, as reported by several Israeli media outlets on Wednesday.
As noted by the Ynet news website, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana met with Foreign Ministry Director General Eyal Bar-Tal on Tuesday. While Bar-Tal condemned the Pope's comments, he did not issue a formal reprimand to Yllana, according to the report.
In light of the escalating situation, the Pope reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza before Christmas, drawing attention to the high number of civilian casualties resulting from Israeli airstrikes. He stated, “This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart,” as reported by Reuters.
Last month, Vatican News highlighted that Pope Francis mentioned in an upcoming book that claims of genocide by the Israeli army against Palestinians “should be carefully investigated.”
West Jerusalem has rejected the genocide accusations, asserting that Hamas has used civilians as human shields. The Foreign Ministry released a statement saying, “Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them.”
Israeli diplomats commented, “Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that military operations in Gaza will persist until the threat from Hamas is eliminated.
Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, over 45,000 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza, with nearly 90% of the enclave's population displaced, according to local authorities and the United Nations.
The violence began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other allied groups launched a surprise assault on Israeli cities, resulting in around 1,200 deaths and the abduction of more than 200 individuals. It is believed that around 100 Israelis are still held hostage in Gaza.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
As noted by the Ynet news website, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana met with Foreign Ministry Director General Eyal Bar-Tal on Tuesday. While Bar-Tal condemned the Pope's comments, he did not issue a formal reprimand to Yllana, according to the report.
In light of the escalating situation, the Pope reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza before Christmas, drawing attention to the high number of civilian casualties resulting from Israeli airstrikes. He stated, “This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart,” as reported by Reuters.
Last month, Vatican News highlighted that Pope Francis mentioned in an upcoming book that claims of genocide by the Israeli army against Palestinians “should be carefully investigated.”
West Jerusalem has rejected the genocide accusations, asserting that Hamas has used civilians as human shields. The Foreign Ministry released a statement saying, “Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them.”
Israeli diplomats commented, “Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that military operations in Gaza will persist until the threat from Hamas is eliminated.
Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, over 45,000 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza, with nearly 90% of the enclave's population displaced, according to local authorities and the United Nations.
The violence began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other allied groups launched a surprise assault on Israeli cities, resulting in around 1,200 deaths and the abduction of more than 200 individuals. It is believed that around 100 Israelis are still held hostage in Gaza.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
