Pope Francis is calling for an investigation of Israel's devastating attacks in Gaza to determine if they meet the "technical definition" of genocide against the Palestinians living there.
In an interview excerpt released Sunday, Francis for the first time urged a probe of Israel's military tactics after saying in September that the bloodshed in Gaza and Lebanon was "disproportionate" and "immoral," according to the Associated Press.
"According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide," the pope noted. "We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies."
Francis made the remarks to journalist Hernán Reyes Alcaide for a book set for publication Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Roman Catholic jubilee year, according to the official Vatican News website.
The pope's comments were revealed after a United Nations special committee report said Thursday that Israel's actions in Gaza were "consistent with the characteristics of genocide."
Nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Hamas militants launched surprise attacks that killed about 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, Al Jazeera reported Sunday, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Hamas-controlled ministry doesn't distinguish between combatant and civilian deaths and it has been accused by Israel and the U.S. of inflating the casualty count, though the numbers are considered generally reliable by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court leveled accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his then-defense minister and three Hamas leaders who have since been killed by Israel.
Prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants that are still being considered by the court, which last week announced an outside probe into unrelated sexual misconduct accusations against him.
Khan has denied the allegations that he tried to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship.
