There should be an international investigation into possible genocide in Gaza: Pope Francis
Last Updated on November 19, 2024 5:23 am
Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, said there should be an international investigation into possible genocide in the Gaza Strip. He said that the international community should investigate whether the Palestinian people were massacred in Gaza by Israeli aggression.
On October 7 last year (2023), the Palestinian armed political organization Hamas attacked Israel. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack. About 250 others were taken hostage to Gaza. In response to the attack by Hamas, Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip on the same day.
The attacks have continued for more than a year. The Israeli forces used thousands of tons of bombs in this attack. Despite trying to resist, Hamas could not prevent the destruction of Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians were killed as a result. Millions have lost their homes and become refugees.
Many international experts say what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide. A UN special committee report published last Thursday said that Israel’s policy and behavior in Gaza had ‘characteristics of genocide’.
Now the Christian priest Pope Francis echoed that report. In an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, he said, quoting the summary of a new book, that some international experts say “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.”
Pope said, we should carefully investigate whether it (genocide) fits with the technical definition made by international jurists and organizations. However, Israel has denied all allegations of genocide. Israel has yet to comment on the Pope’s comments.
South Africa sued Israel at the International Court of Justice last December for violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza. In January this year, the court’s judges ordered Israel to ensure that its forces do not carry out any genocide. The court has not yet ruled on whether or not there was a genocide in Gaza.
Pope Francis is generally careful not to take sides in international conflicts and emphasizes de-escalation. However, he recently criticized Israel’s behavior in Gaza.
For example, Pope recently condemned the death of Palestinian children in the Israeli attack on Gaza. He then criticized Israel’s airstrikes in Lebanon as ‘immoral’. But Pope Francis has never before publicly described the situation in Gaza as genocide.