Pressure is mounting against the Israeli government to release stockpiles of emergency aid and food to besieged Gaza, as the region teeters on the brink of famine that the United Nations warns could cause severe cases of acute malnutrition in over 14,000 children within the next year. The renewed focus on borderline starvation conditions in the region — and the aid blockade by the Israeli military — has prompted backlash from even the new Pontiff.
On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV — who was elected to the position earlier this month — used his first-ever General Audience in St. Peter’s Basilica to call on Israel to release aid into Gaza.
“I renew my fervent appeal to allow for the entry of fair humanitarian help and to bring to an end the hostilities, the devastating price of which is paid by children, the elderly and the sick,” Leo said, calling conditions in Gaza “increasingly worrying and painful.” The Pope repeated the message on social media.
Leo’s plea for aid to Gaza continues the work of his predecessor Pope Francis, who was vocal in his support for the Palestinian people, and continued to call for a cease-fire in Gaza up to the day before he died. The new Pope’s declaration comes as other prominent world leaders call on Israel to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where more than 60,000 people have been killed and over 100,000 injured in the 18 months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks against Israel. During that attack, which was the worst massacre of Israelis in the country’s history, about 1,200 people were killed, and about 250 were taken hostage.
For the past 11 weeks, Israeli Occupation Forces have blockaded the entry of humanitarian aid trucks, personnel, and supplies into the region. As the Israeli military continues to escalate its ground offensive within Gaza, they have also ordered the resource-deprived population to evacuate out of Khan Younis and toward the coast. On Monday, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s escalation of the conflict, and the renewal of military ground operations in Gaza.
“We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday’s announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate,” the three nations wrote. “Israel suffered a heinous attack on 7 October. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate. We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”
In a separate statement, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the ministry had “suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement.”
“We are now entering a dark new phase in this conflict. [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s government is planning to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the Strip to the south and permit them a fraction of the aid that they need,” Lammy wrote.
The United Nations said on Wednesday that while Israel had begun allowing aid trucks to cross into Gaza, UN staff had not been allowed to access the supplies for distribution.
The Trump administration has been supportive of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, with President Donald Trump fantasizing on social media earlier this year about opening a “Trump Gaza” resort in the decimated Palestinian territory — once the current inhabitants have been forcibly evicted. Last week, during a trip to the Middle East, Trump said that it isn’t “like you’re trying to save something” in Gaza, and that the region should be turned into a “Freedom Zone” with U.S. involvement.
The situation is becoming a bit too much for even some of Trump’s most prominent supporters. On Tuesday, comedian and podcaster Theo Von — who promoted the president during his 2024 campaign and accompanied him on a trip to Qatar last week — said the U.S. was “complicit” in creating the horrors that were taking place in Gaza.
“It feels to me like it’s a genocide that’s happening while we’re alive here, in front of our in front of our lives. And I feel like I should say something,” Von said on this week’s episode of the This Past Weekend podcast.
“So I just want to be able to speak up about that, that I think we’re watching probably one of the sickest things that’s ever happened. And I’m sorry if I haven’t said [enough] about it, I’ve tried to talk about it and learn about it,” he said. “It’s just kind of interesting, because then you just realize, ‘Oh, well, I’m just a member of this country, but what we want sometimes doesn’t matter,’ and you just have to be a member of a place, and your government is making other choices.”
Pope Leo and Von couldn’t be more different, but frustration with the lack of progress toward a sustained cease-fire in Gaza, and the looming threat of more devastation to the region, reflect sentiments both in the U.S. and abroad.
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