GENEVA

Pope Leo on Sunday called for "an immediate halt to the barbarity of the war" following an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic parish in Gaza City that killed three civilians and injured several others, including the parish priest.

The attack occurred Thursday morning at Gaza’s only Catholic church, where around 600 people had been sheltering.

The pope identified the victims as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud, and said he was “close” to them and their families, according to Vatican News.

Speaking Sunday after the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said the strike "is just one of the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza."

He appealed for "a peaceful resolution of the conflict" and called on the international community to respect international humanitarian law, especially "the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population."