Translated with AI
American singer Madonna called on Pope Leo XIV to visit Gaza and help Palestinian children before it's too late. She posted her appeal to the pontiff on Instagram, emphasizing that he is the only person who cannot be denied entry to the enclave, the BBC reports.
"Holy Father, please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it is too late," Madonna wrote.
"As a mother, I can't bear to watch them suffer. The fate of children in this world is everyone's business. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry," the singer said.
Earlier, the UK, the EU, Australia, Canada and Japan issued a joint statement saying that the world was witnessing a famine unfolding in the Strip and demanded immediate steps to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israel is facing growing international pressure over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Its scale is known primarily from Hamas-controlled Palestinian organizations and local journalists, some of whom Israel also links to Hamas.
Israeli authorities deny the existence of a famine in the Gaza Strip and accuse UN agencies of failing to collect humanitarian aid accumulated at border crossings and deliver it further.
According to some Israeli sources, the shipments amount to tons of cargo. However, UN humanitarian agencies insist they are encountering obstacles and delays in collecting aid from Israeli-controlled border areas.
"We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children. There's no time left. Please tell me you'll go. With love, Madonna," the singer's message to the Pope reads.
In July, Pope Leo XIV again called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike killed three people sheltering in a Catholic church in Gaza City.
"I call on the international community to respect humanitarian law and the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of populations," the pope said (quoted by PA News).
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Madonna has delivered emotional speeches in support of the Palestinians from the stage at her concerts.
She called on fans to bring "peace, light and love" to the Middle East, both individually and collectively.
"I'm not pointing fingers, blaming anyone, or taking sides. Everyone is suffering. Including the hostages' mothers. I pray for their release," Madonna said in her post.
Shortly before Madonna's post, U2 frontman Bono and his band also released a statement outlining their position on the matter.
"Our group stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who sincerely seek peace and coexistence with Israel, and with their legitimate demand for statehood. We stand in solidarity with the remaining hostages and ask someone reasonable to negotiate their release," Bono wrote.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the brutal killing of more than 1,200 people and the taking of more than 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip.
Since then, with the assistance of international mediators, Hamas militants have returned some of the hostages to Israel, dozens of them dead.
According to Israeli intelligence, Hamas still holds approximately 50 people, of whom no more than 20 are still alive. Israel has repeatedly made it clear that the intensive military phase will end after the return of the last hostage.
Last week, Hamas released a propaganda video showing an emaciated Israeli hostage digging his own grave in a narrow underground tunnel.
