Israel's Netanyahu called Pope Leo after Gaza church strike, Vatican says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, on May 21, 2025.
PHOTO: Reuters
PUBLISHED ONJuly 19, 2025 2:09 AM
ROME - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Pope Leo on Friday (July 18), the Vatican said, a day after an Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic church killed three people and injured several more.
During the call, the pope renewed his appeal for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, and expressed his concern over the "dramatic" humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave, a Vatican statement said.
Leo also stressed the urgent need to protect places of worship, the faithful, and all people in the Palestinian territories and Israel, the statement added.
Source: Reuters