The Vatican issued an unusually detailed statement following Leo's meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who also met with the Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin and foreign minister,

Israeli bombardment pushed more Palestinians out of their homes in Gaza City on Thursday, while thousands of residents defied Israeli orders to leave, remaining behind in the ruins in the path of Israel's latest advance.

Israel has begun its ground operation in Gaza City, Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Tuesday.

Health officials say Israel's growing offensive has killed at least 287 Gazans since international scholars, including Holocaust experts, called the war genocidal.

Some reservists, battered by multiple deployments and questioning the end game of the war, are refusing to fight if called, which could land them in jail.

Pope Leo XIV met Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City on Thursday. The meeting comes after the Holy See called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and entry of humanitarian aid to famine-stricken Palestinians there.

Tensions between Israel’s military and political leadership have sharply escalated over the past week, with the military chief directly confronting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent meeting over plans to expand the Gaza war,

In a new Daily Caller interview, President Donald Trump acknowledged Israel's weakened congressional lobby while defending the country's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Thousands of Israeli military reservists are preparing to join Israel Defense Forces that have begun a ground offensive against Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip.

The statement followed a resolution by the world's top genocide scholars declaring Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday warned that any Israeli move to annex the occupied West Bank would be a “red line,” without specifying its possible impact on the landmark normalization accord between the two countries.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars on Sunday passed a resolution accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, which Israeli officials deny.