Do not lose sight of Gazans' need as war spreads: Pope

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called on the world not to forget the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as war in the Middle East broadened with overnight US strikes on Iran.

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"In this context that includes Israel and Palestine, there is a risk that the daily suffering of peoples is forgotten, in particular in Gaza and other territories, where there is an ever greater urgency for adequate humanitarian aid," the Pope said following his weekly Angelus prayer.

Pope Leo said the international community must strive to avoid war that risks opening an "irreparable abyss", and that diplomacy should take the place of conflict.

US forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites overnight, joining an Israeli assault in a major new escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself.

"Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss," Pope Leo said during his weekly prayer with pilgrims.

"No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future. Let diplomacy silence the weapons, let nations chart their future with peace efforts, not with violence and bloody conflicts," he added.

The Israeli military said Sunday that it has recovered the remains of three hostages held in the Gaza Strip. At least four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike and 22 wounded while waiting for humanitarian aid, according to a local hospital.