Cardinal says he returned from rare visit to Gaza with 'broken heart'

By Charlotte Greenfield

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch, said on Tuesday he and church leaders had returned from a visit to Gaza with "broken hearts", calling the spiralling humanitarian crisis there "morally unacceptable".

Pizzaballa and Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, on Friday visited the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, where an Israeli strike last week killed three people and injured several more including the parish priest.

"It is time to end this nonsense and the war," the cardinal, who is the most senior Catholic authority in the region, told a press conference in Jerusalem.

He called for more humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, calling it "a matter of life or death." He added: "Every hour without food, water, medicine and shelter causes deep harm. It is morally unacceptable and unjustifiable."

It is extremely rare for foreign officials to be allowed entry into Gaza as Israel has essentially sealed its borders since launching its war against Hamas following the Palestinian militant group's cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday blamed "stray ammunition" for the strike on the church and said Israel was "investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites."

Pizzaballa and a Vatican official have questioned Israeli explanations for the incident.

When asked about his stance after his visit to the damaged church, Pizzaballa said on Tuesday that it was not clear what happened and they could not "prove anything."

Netanyahu called Pope Leo on Friday and in their exchange the pontiff renewed appeals for an end to the war, protection of civilians and places of worship while voicing concern for "the dramatic humanitarian situation" in Gaza, the Vatican said.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in Jerusalem; editing by Mark Heinrich)