The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said on Saturday the situation in Israel sparked by the surprise rocket attack by Hamas from the Gaza Strip was a "very serious emergency" which he feared could "lead to war".
"We are facing a very serious situation that has erupted suddenly, without much warning," Piazzaballa told Catholic news agency SIR.
"It is a military campaign on both sides, which is very worrying in its form, its dynamics and its scale. This is very sad news," he continued.
"The taking of Israeli hostages, a phenomenon that is in no way justifiable, will only encourage greater aggression on both sides, especially on the Israeli side," added Piazzaballa.
The Latin Patriarch had words of comfort for the small Christian community in Gaza, which numbers just over 1,000 people of whom just 100 are Catholic.
"They must know that, as always, they will not be left on their own and that this is a moment in which we must be united more than ever," he said.
Pizzaballa also appealed to the international community to return its attention to the Middle East.
"Diplomatic agreements, economic agreements do not eliminate the fact that there is an Israeli-Palestinian issue that needs to be resolved and that awaits a solution," he concluded.
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