Overview

• During his May 28 address at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV demanded an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, invoking the suffering of parents clutching their dead children.
• He called on both Israel and Hamas to release all hostages and fully observe international humanitarian law.
• The appeal follows stalled truce negotiations and an intensified Israeli campaign that has resulted in over 54,000 Palestinian fatalities since October 2023.
• A new U.S.-Israeli mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza commenced operations this week after reports of civilians being injured in food distribution rushes.
• The pontiff also renewed his plea to end the war in Ukraine and pledged to advance Catholic-Jewish dialogue and interfaith cooperation under his papacy.