Pope Francescu Calls for End to Israel, Gaza

I appeal for calm and those responsible to end using weapons and heading to the path of peace”, he said in a weekly speech to believers gathered at St. Peter's Square.

Many innocent people have died, including children. That's terrible. Unacceptable. Their death is a sign that people do not want to build a future, but are destroying it... I wonder where hatred and revenge can lead?”, the pope said.

Palestinian doctors say the death toll from Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Sunday has reached 33. This is the largest number of victims since the beginning of the fighting.

On 16 May, the Israeli Army said it carried out air strikes at the home of Yahoa Sinwar, the head of Hamas' political arm at the Gaza Strip. The army didn't know if he was killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the current campaign against Palestinian militants “will continue as long as it needs” despite calls for calm from Washington and the United Nations.

Netanyahu has pledged that it will continue to respond strongly to” against missile attacks, until the conflict with Palestinians in Gaza entered on the seventh day.

Palestinian militants fired missiles at Tel Aviv, causing people there to flee to the shelter.

Palestinian armed groups have fired at least 2,300 missiles in Israel's direction since the beginning of the escalation of violence.

The international community has called for an end to the escalating conflict. The UN Security Council will hold a meeting late Sunday.

The militant Islamic group Hamas launched a missile attack on Israel after weeks of tension in Jerusalem between Palestinians and Israelis.

The attacks followed objections to a court case to expel several Palestinian families in eastern Jerusalem and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the city's Al-Axa mosque, Islam's third most holy place.

Israel's revenge launched air and artillery attacks in Gaza.