Pope Francis has addressed claims of the ongoing “genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza for the first time in a forthcoming book, calling for further investigation into whether Israel’s actions meet the definition.

Entitled “Hope Never Fails. Pilgrims to a Better World,” the book includes his latest and most direct intervention in the more than year-long war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide,” the pontiff wrote in excerpts published Sunday in the Italian daily La Stampa.

“This should be carefully studied to determine whether (the situation) corresponds to the technical definition formulated by jurists and international organizations,” he added.

The Argentine pontiff has frequently lamented the death toll of Israel’s operations in Gaza, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory, bringing the toll to at least 43,846, most of them civilians.

But his call for an investigation marks the first time he has publicly used the term genocide — without endorsing it — in the context of Israeli military operations in Palestinian territory.

On Thursday, a United Nations Special Committee judged the conduct of Israel’s war in Gaza “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”, accusing the country of “using starvation as a method of war”.

Its conclusions have already been condemned by Israel’s main backer, the United States.

However, this is not the first time that Israel has been the subject of accusations of genocide since the beginning of the war.

South Africa brought a case of genocide before the International Court of Justice with the support of several countries, including Turkey, Spain and Mexico.

Francis has also frequently called for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Palestinian Islamist militants on October 7.

That attack left 1,206 people dead on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Hamas fighters also took 251 people hostage that day, 97 of whom are still being held in Palestinian territory, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

On Thursday, the 87-year-old pope received 16 former hostages freed after months of captivity in Gaza.