Pope Leo XIV calls for urgent humanitarian aid to enter Gaza in his first official conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Pope Leo XIV urged on Monday that "the adequate entry of humanitarian aid" into Gaza be allowed "urgently," in a telephone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in which he stressed "the obligation to protect the population and holy places " in the Strip.

"Given the dramatic humanitarian situation, the urgency of providing relief to those most exposed to the consequences of the conflict and allowing the adequate entry of humanitarian aid was emphasized," the Vatican reported.

The pontiff also renewed "his call for full respect for international humanitarian law" and stressed "the obligation to protect civilians and holy places," as well as "the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population."

In the call, the two leaders discussed "recent developments in the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the violence in the West Bank."

This Sunday, during the Angelus prayer, the Pope once again spoke out against the violence in the Middle East , following last Thursday's Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish, the only Catholic church in Gaza, which left three dead and several injured.

" There can be no justification for collective punishment , the indiscriminate use of force, or the forced displacement of inhabitants," the pope said, addressing the international community in Castel Gandolfo before hundreds of cheering people.

The day after the attack, Leo XIV received a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the Pope asked for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, as well as protection for places of worship and the faithful.

During his conversation with Abbas, the Pope also recalled the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on June 26, 2015, and which entered into force on January 2, 2016.