Pope expresses ‘deep distress’ over attacks on Kyiv hospital and Gaza school
(Reuters) – Pope Francis expressed his distress on Tuesday over attacks in recent days against the main children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital and a school housing displaced Palestinian families in central Gaza.
“The Holy Father has learned with great sorrow the news about the attacks against two medical centers in Kyiv, including Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, as well as against a school in Gaza. The Pope expresses his deep distress for the increase in violence,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Monday’s strike on the hospital in Ukraine was likely caused by a direct hit from a Russian missile, the head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission said on Tuesday.
On Saturday, at least 16 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the school in central Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said, in an attack Israel said had targeted militants.
In the statement, the Pope also reiterated his desire for concrete ways to end the ongoing conflicts.
