Gaza Herald- The Gaza Center for Human Rights has urged Pope Leo XIV to visit the Gaza Strip, stressing that over two million residents, including Christians, are facing severe humanitarian conditions.
The center expressed hope that the visit would draw global attention to the impact of Israeli military actions.
“A potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to Gaza would signal global solidarity with civilians and highlight the worsening humanitarian situation despite a ceasefire while supporting the historic Christian presence and calls for justice and peace,” the center emphasized.
It noted that Christian places of worship in the Gaza Strip have been targeted and damaged by Israeli airstrikes, including Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City, as well as significant damage to the Holy Family Church and its surroundings.
According to reports, the center stated that several Palestinian Christians have been killed or injured while sheltering in churches or in their homes, reflecting the shared fate of Palestinians across different religious backgrounds.
It stressed the importance of such a visit six months after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, noting that 2,400 serious violations have been documented, including shootings, incursions into residential areas, bombardments, and the demolition of civilian homes.
The toll has reached 757 Palestinians killed, the vast majority of them civilians, including 312 children, women, and elderly people, alongside 2,100 injuries, more than half among vulnerable groups, bringing the total since 7 October 2023 to 72,336 killed and 172,213 injured.
The center further reported that hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in harsh conditions in damaged schools or makeshift tents with limited services after the destruction of about 90% of homes and buildings in Gaza and the collapse of entire neighborhoods and infrastructure, leaving much of the territory unfit for safe living.
It praised Pope Leo XIV’s moral stance, expressing solidarity with victims, rejecting attacks on civilians, and calling for respect for international humanitarian law, stressing that such positions uphold human dignity and serve as an important moral voice amid growing global silence.
The center said it appreciates this clear humanitarian position, expressing hope that it will be followed by a visit to the Gaza Strip, carrying a message of justice and peace for both victims and the international community.
It described the visit as a moral step restoring human dignity and reinforcing calls to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and places of worship without discrimination.
It emphasized that the people of Gaza, Muslims and Christians alike, hope for a courageous humanitarian stance that translates spiritual values into real action among victims and holds the world accountable for its legal and moral responsibilities.
