HAMILTON, Canada

Pop icon Madonna on Monday directly appealed to Pope Leo XIV to travel to the Gaza Strip, urging him to "bring your light to the children before it's too late" as Israel continues with its deadly attacks on the enclave.

"Most Holy Father, please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it's too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering. The children of the world belong to everyone," she wrote on X.

"You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry. We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children. There is no more time. Please say you will go. Love, Madonna," she said.

"Politics Cannot affect Change. Only consciousness Can. Therefore I am Reaching out to a Man of God," she added.

Marking her son Rocco's birthday, Madonna said: "I feel the best gift I can give to him as a mother is to ask everyone to do what they can to help save the innocent children caught in the crossfire in Gaza. I am not pointing fingers, placing blame, or taking sides. Everyone is suffering."

"I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation," she said, urging followers to donate to humanitarian groups like the World Central Kitchen.

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,500 people since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.