Pope Leo holds first call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Pope Leo held his first official conversation with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, focusing on the escalating violence in Gaza and the West Bank, the Vatican announced.

According to a statement, “The Holy Father repeated his appeal for international humanitarian law to be fully respected, emphasising in particular the obligation to protect civilians and sacred places, the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and of the forced transfer of the population.”

The pope also stressed “the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarian aid.”

The discussion came just days after Pope Leo spoke by phone with 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following an 'Israeli' strike on Gaza’s only Catholic Church that killed three people.

On Sunday, the pontiff condemned the “barbarity” of the war in Gaza and renewed his call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The Vatican, which officially recognized the State of Palestine in 2015 through a bilateral agreement, continues to advocate for a two-state solution. In 2014, Pope Francis hosted a symbolic meeting in the Vatican gardens where then-'Israeli' President Shimon Peres and Abbas planted an olive tree as a gesture of peace.