Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a letter to Pope Francis imploring him to cooperate in reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter talks about the "violation of international law in Gaza" and "the need to stop it", the Anadolu Agency reported.
In his communication with the Pope, the Turkish president indicated: "Humanity must declare itself against the bombing of medical facilities, educational institutions, places of worship and cultural sites, which must remain undamaged even during conflicts."
"Without a just resolution of the Palestine-Israel issue, the establishment of lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is not possible," added the head of state.
The war between Hamas and Israel erupted on October 7 when fighters from the Islamist movement infiltrated from the Gaza Strip and launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel, killing 1,170 people, most of them civilians.
More than 250 people were abducted and 129 are still being held in Gaza. 34 of them are believed to have died, according to Israeli officials.
In response, Israel threatened to destroy Hamas. The army launched an offensive that has so far killed 33,634 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Hamas' Health Ministry. /BGNES
