Israel calls in Vatican representative following pope's remarks on Gaza, reports say
Israel has allegedly summoned a Vatican envoy to engage in discussions regarding Pope Francis’ remarks concerning Gaza. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Vatican’s ambassador has been summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry following Pope Francis's criticism of the “cruelty” associated with airstrikes in Gaza, as reported by various Israeli media outlets on Wednesday.
Reports from the news site Ynet indicate that Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana met with Foreign Ministry Director General Eyal Bar-Tal for a discussion on Tuesday. While Bar-Tal condemned the pope's remarks, he did not issue a formal reprimand to Yllana.
In his statements, the pope reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza in anticipation of Christmas, focusing on the high civilian death toll resulting from Israeli airstrikes. "This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart,” he expressed, as cited by Reuters.
Additionally, Vatican News reported last month that the pontiff mentioned in his upcoming book that the allegations of genocide by the Israeli army against the Palestinians “should be carefully investigated.”
Israeli authorities have rejected the claims of genocide, arguing that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. The Foreign Ministry commented last month, 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 noted, “Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that operations in Gaza would proceed until the threat posed by Hamas is neutralized.
Local authorities and the UN report that over 45,000 people have died in Gaza since October 2023, with nearly 90% of the enclave's residents displaced.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and allied groups conducted a surprise attack on Israeli cities, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals and the abduction of over 200 hostages, with approximately 100 Israelis still believed to be held in Gaza.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Reports from the news site Ynet indicate that Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana met with Foreign Ministry Director General Eyal Bar-Tal for a discussion on Tuesday. While Bar-Tal condemned the pope's remarks, he did not issue a formal reprimand to Yllana.
In his statements, the pope reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza in anticipation of Christmas, focusing on the high civilian death toll resulting from Israeli airstrikes. "This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart,” he expressed, as cited by Reuters.
Additionally, Vatican News reported last month that the pontiff mentioned in his upcoming book that the allegations of genocide by the Israeli army against the Palestinians “should be carefully investigated.”
Israeli authorities have rejected the claims of genocide, arguing that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. The Foreign Ministry commented last month, 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 noted, “Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that operations in Gaza would proceed until the threat posed by Hamas is neutralized.
Local authorities and the UN report that over 45,000 people have died in Gaza since October 2023, with nearly 90% of the enclave's residents displaced.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and allied groups conducted a surprise attack on Israeli cities, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals and the abduction of over 200 hostages, with approximately 100 Israelis still believed to be held in Gaza.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
