CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

Pope Leo XIV called for an “immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict” during his Angelus speech in Castel Gandolfo on Sunday.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on Sunday on a crowd of Palestinians waiting to collect humanitarian aid, providing a preliminary toll of at least 44 people killed. The latest deaths came as Pope Leo XIV slammed the "barbarity" of the war in Gaza in his traditional Sunday blessing.