While Pope Francis has criticized the war before, this is the first time he has publicly suggested an investigation, according to excerpts from a new book.

Pope Francis has said that allegations of a genocide in Gaza should be “carefully investigated” marking some of his strongest criticism yet of Israel’s war with Hamas.

Pope Francis has spoken in favour of an investigation into the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in his forthcoming book, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported on Sunday.

In a new book, Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza constitutes a genocide, sparking intense debate about the war — and also raising questions about the tangible impact that papal statements have on Catholics and global politics.

ROME, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has suggested the global community should study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel's conduct in its year-long war.

It’s the first time that Pope Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

Francis has not previously described the situation in Gaza as a genocide in public. But last year he was at the centre of a messy dispute after a meeting with a group of Palestinians at the Vatican, who insisted he had used the word with them in private, while the Vatican said he had not.

Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether Israel's military actions in Gaza legally constitute genocide, according to a book due out this week. Why it matters: The pope has previously criticized Israel's attacks on Gaza as "immoral" and disproportionate,

The "Everybody Loves Raymond" actress has been an outspoken advocate for Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel's military attacks on Gaza constitute genocide. It's the first time he's publicly suggested that Israel may be engaged in genocide.