Pope Leo XIV says the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, "the heartbreaking price of which is paid by children, the elderly, the sick," must end and food must be allowed in.

Newly inaugurated Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday made an appeal to end hostility in Gaza and called for humanitarian aid to enter the war-torn territory with reports suggesting a worsening outlook.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV called Wednesday for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip and for an end to the “heartbreaking” toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

A U.S.-backed organization aims to start work in the Gaza Strip by the end of May overseeing a new model of aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave, but the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral,

Per Israeli officials, 93 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, but experts say that is not nearly enough.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in early March 2025 that Israel would "stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza."

Two of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals have been encircled by Israeli troops, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities, hospital staff and aid groups said this week, as Israel pursued its renewed offensive into the devastated Palestinian territory.