VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to "act immediately to end the current tragic situation" in the Gaza Strip.
The pontiff deplored the "refusal to dialogue" which has resulted in an "indescribable worsening" of conditions through ground fighting for the coastal strip's population, "once again the victims of hatred and war".
At least 23 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza since Israel's ground offensive in the Hamas-run enclave began on Saturday, medics said on Sunday....