Pope Leo XIV urged on Wednesday for adequate humanitarian assistance to be permitted into the war-torn region of Gaza, where humanitarian organizations report that a complete blockade has led to critical shortages of food and medical supplies.
Under significant pressure from the United States and other allies, Israel has begun to permit an increased flow of aid into Gaza this week; however, it has not reduced its military operations. Aid organizations indicate that the volume of humanitarian supplies entering the area is far from sufficient to address the pressing needs of a distressed civilian population.
On Monday, the United Nations announced that it had received clearance to deliver aid for the first time since Israel enforced a total blockade on March 2, which has resulted in severe shortages of food and medicine.
“The situation in the Gaza Strip is both concerning and distressing,” the pope remarked during his inaugural weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “I reiterate my sincere plea for the facilitation of adequate humanitarian assistance and for an end to the hostilities, the devastating consequences of which are borne by children, the elderly, and the ill.”
Leo, who was elected on May 8 as the first U.S. pope of the Catholic Church, has prioritized peace as a central theme of his papacy, advocating for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
In recent days, the Israeli military has intensified its offensive in Gaza, with the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health reporting that approximately 600 individuals have lost their lives in just the past week. Israel asserts that both the limitations on aid and the increased military actions are intended to exert pressure on Hamas — which has long been classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel — to release the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza and to agree to a ceasefire under Israeli conditions.
Israel has committed to continuing its military campaign until the hostages, around 20 of whom are thought to be alive, are liberated, Hamas is defeated and disarmed, and its leaders are exiled. The conflict was ignited by the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 251 hostages into Gaza.
The health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties, reports that over 53,500 Palestinians have died in Israel’s retaliatory actions, with many of the deceased being women and children.
Charity labels the Israeli relaxation of the Gaza blockade as “a smokescreen”
The volume of aid that Israel has begun to permit into the war-torn Gaza Strip is far from sufficient and is merely “a smokescreen to feign the end of the siege,” stated the MSF aid organization on Wednesday.
“The decision by the Israeli authorities to permit an absurdly insufficient quantity of aid into Gaza after enduring months of a stringent blockade indicates their desire to evade the charge of starving the population in Gaza, while in reality, they are merely allowing them to survive,” remarked Pascale Coissard, the emergency coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. “The current allowance of 100 [trucks] per day, given the dire circumstances, is grossly inadequate.”
“At the same time, evacuation orders continue to displace the population, while Israeli forces persist in launching intensive attacks on health facilities,” Coissard added.
Israel reported that 93 trucks crossed into Gaza from Israel on Tuesday; however, the United Nations indicated that the aid had been delayed.
In response to inquiries on Tuesday regarding Israel’s recent actions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters in Washington that the Trump administration was “pleased to observe that aid is beginning to be delivered once more.”
“I acknowledge your observation that the amounts are not adequate,” he conveyed to a journalist. “However, we were gratified to note that this decision was reached. I am aware that an additional 100 trucks are en route, with potentially more expected in the coming days.”
Rubio stated that the United States was collaborating with the United Nations’ World Food Program “to explore some of the concepts and strategies they proposed for the distribution” of aid within Gaza. However, he emphasized that from the administration’s perspective, “the ultimate solution to this [war] is its conclusion, ideally with the eradication of Hamas, as the residents of Gaza are entitled to a more prosperous and peaceful future, which will remain unattainable as long as Hamas is present.”
