Published 10/08/2024 12:55
Critical of the war in the Middle East, Pope Francis once again took a stand and accused the international community of the lack of action to establish a proposal capable of indicating a path to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The supreme pontiff’s speech, which he classified as a “shameful incapacity” of global governance, took place on Monday (7), in a letter to Catholics in the Middle East, when the unbridled war led by Israel completed one year after the Hamas attack.
“A year ago the fuse of hatred was lit; it was not erased, but it exploded into a spiral of violence, in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war,” said Francis.
read more: Israel brings war to Beirut and forces Lebanese army to respond
Since hostilities began, Israel has attacked Gaza and killed more than 42,000 Palestinians. In the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 people died. According to Israel, at least 782 soldiers have died in combat since then.
The retaliation promoted by the Israeli army is considered by several world leaders as genocide. However, even with all the appeals and resolutions issued by international organizations, such as the UN, nothing has been able to bring about a ceasefire, as Israel’s far-right government has used its war machine as a way of maintaining its power.
“I am with you, martyred and exhausted Gazans, who are in my thoughts and prayers every day. I am with you, forced to leave your homes, to abandon school and work, to wander in search of a destination to escape the bombs,” said the Pope.
In recent months, Francisco has accentuated the tone of criticism. At the end of September he indicated that Israel has carried out attacks beyond morality. In August, he had already expressed concern about the possibility of the war spreading to other countries, as in fact happened: the Israeli army invaded Lebanon and maintains a constant state of tension with Iran.
read more: In ten months, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 40,000 people, 130 per day
In an excerpt from the letter in this year of conflict, the pontiff also emphasizes that war is a defeat and that violence never brings peace: “Anger growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few care about what else is necessary and what people want: dialogue, peace” […] “war is a defeat, that weapons do not build the future, but destroy it, that violence never brings peace”.
Finally, the holiness recalls that the centuries-old conflict has taught nothing to those involved: “History demonstrates this, but still years and years of conflicts seem to have taught nothing”, he concludes, renewing the call for world peace.
Source: vermelho.org.br
