Netanyahu criticizes Pope Francis over Gaza genocide remarks

"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply criticized Pope Francis following the pontiff's call for an investigation into whether the "Israeli" military's actions in Gaza could be classified as genocide.

Read more: Pope: "Gaza may bear characteristics of genocide"

Netanyahu denounced the Pope's remarks as “disgraceful" in an address to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

Last week, Pope Francis made a strong statement suggesting that the international community should examine whether "Israel's" military operations in Gaza amounted to the genocide of the Palestinian people. This was one of his most direct criticisms of "Israel's" conduct in the ongoing year-long aggression.

Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Towards a Better World, the Pope's latest book, highlighted the views of some experts who argue that the situation in Gaza bears the hallmarks of genocide.

Pope Francis has been increasingly vocal about the violence in Gaza.

Earlier in September, he condemned "Israel's" military actions in Gaza and Lebanon as immoral and disproportionate, stating that the "Israeli" army had violated the laws of war.