- In excerpts from a new forthcoming book, the pontiff said international experts say ‘what is happening in Gaza has characteristics of a genocide’
VATICAN: Pope Francis has suggested the global community should study whether Israel’s military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel’s conduct in its year-long offensive, Reuters reports.
In excerpts published from a new forthcoming book, the pontiff said some international experts say “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide”.
“We should investigate carefully to assess whether this fits into the technical definition (of genocide) formulated by international jurists and organisations,” the pope said in the excerpts, published by Italian daily La Stampa.
Israel has denied all accusations of genocide. The Israeli foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the pope’s remarks.
At least 43,846 Palestinians killed in Israeli offensive since Oct. 7, 2023: Gaza health ministry
The health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 43,846 people have been killed in more than 13 months of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, AFP reports.
The toll includes 47 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 103,740 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the invasion began on October 7, 2023.
Israel slams UN committee’s Gaza genocide claims as ‘false’
Israel has condemned the United Nations for what it described as “anti-Israel fabrications” after a UN committee said Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, Al Jazeera reports.
“The UN is breaking its own record when it comes to biased reports, singling out Israel and anti-Israel fabrications,” the foreign ministry said.
The UN special committee said in a report that Israel was “intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury” in the Gaza Strip, accusing it of “using starvation as a method of war”.
But the ministry dismissed the accusations as “false claims”.
“The … report is an appalling example of the transformation of the UN into an organisation which is used as a pawn by terrorists who attack civilians in a democratic state,” it said in a statement shared by spokesman Oren Marmorstein on X.
Israel carries out at least 27 air attacks on civilian, religious sites in Lebanon: report
Israel has carried out at least 27 air attacks on civilian and religious sites in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports citing Lebanese state media.
One of the air attacks targeted the vicinity of Our Lady of Salvation Church near Saint George Hospital in the Hadath area of Beirut’s southern suburb, while another strike targeted a 12-story residential building near the Mar Michael Church in the Chiyah neighbourhood of southern Beirut.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the attacks caused extensive damage to nearby structures.
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon came under fire
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has said that a peacekeeping patrol was fired upon “about 40 times” a day earlier, with the culprit “likely from non-state actor members”.
“A group of individuals”, at least one armed, sought to prevent the patrol from passing in south Lebanon on Saturday, but it continued and was later “fired upon about 40 times from behind, likely from non-state actor members”, Unifil said in a statement, adding that no peacekeepers were injured though “some patrol vehicles had bullet impacts”.
