Pope Francis said the international community should investigate whether Israel’s military actions in Gaza constitute genocide.

ROME, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has suggested the global community should study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel's conduct in its year-long war.

In a book set to be published November 19, in Italy, Spain, and Latin America, Pope Francis addressed accusations of genocide related to Israel’s military operations in Gaza for the first time, though he does not explicitly endorse them.

With Israel continuing its bombing of Gaza and the Palestinian deaths continuing to rise, Israel’s embassy to the Vatican responded on Sunday with a post on X, quoting its Ambassador Yaron Sideman claiming that “there was a genocidal massacre of Israeli citizens”.

While Pope Francis has criticized the war before, this is the first time he has publicly suggested an investigation, according to excerpts from a new book.

ROME − Pope Francis has suggested the global community should study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel's conduct in its year-long war.

Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff’s jubilee year.

Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether Israel's military actions in Gaza legally constitute genocide, according to a book due out this week. Why it matters: The pope has previously criticized Israel's attacks on Gaza as "immoral" and disproportionate,