In a stinging retort to Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a phone call in late october during the war against Hamas in Gaza, Pope Francis reminded the Israeli leader that it is "forbidden to respond to terror with terror." According to the Washington Post, citing an Israeli official, the Pope responded to Herzog's tense call, in which the Israeli President described how critical it was for his country to defend its citizens, by saying those responsible for the october 7 carnage should be held accountable, but not at the expense of civilian lives.

The Israeli administration has never previously revealed the diplomatic exchange since it was deemed "bad." However, the Pope's answer echoed his most recent comments, in which he called the fighting between the two sides "terrorism" after visiting with the relatives of Israeli captives. "I heard how both sides suffer, and this is what wars do, but here we've gone beyond war." However, it was unclear if the Pope was referring to a single deed or the entire struggle.

Meanwhile, in a shift of tone, the US has stressed the need to comply with international law while fighting Hamas in Gaza. Top US official Antony Blinken wrote on X that he emphasised the “need for israel to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm” during the meeting with Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As the ceasefire agreement in an effort to free as many captives as possible from Gaza approaches its seventh day following a second extension from the original agreement, international mediators are pushing to extend it beyond Thursday.

However, israel has repeatedly stated that it will resume its attack against Hamas as soon as the truce ends. The white house has also expressed support for Israel's planned action. "When israel decides to go after Hamas again, it will continue to find support from the US," National Security Council spokesperson john Kirby said.
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SIBY JEYYA

01/12/2023 05:55 AM