POPE FRANCIS ONCE AGAIN CONDEMNED THE ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES IN GAZA. (PHOTO).
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On Saturday, Pope Francis once again condemned the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, following a day after an Israeli government minister publicly criticized him for suggesting that the international community should examine whether the military actions there amount to genocide against the Palestinian people.
During his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals overseeing various Vatican departments, Francis seemed to reference the Israeli airstrikes from Friday that resulted in the deaths of at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza. "Yesterday, children were bombed," the pope stated. "This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to express this because it strikes at the heart."
As the leader of the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, the pope typically exercises caution in taking sides during conflicts. However, he has recently become more vocal regarding Israel's military actions against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In excerpts from a book released last month, the pontiff mentioned that some international experts believe "what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide."
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli sharply criticized these comments in an unusual open letter published in the Italian newspaper Il Foglio on Friday, claiming that the pope's statements trivialized the concept of genocide.
Israel's foreign ministry asserted that the country was defending itself against the cruelty demonstrated by Hamas militants, who "hide behind children while attempting to murder Israeli citizens."
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