'Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children': Israel slams papal address

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 22 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Foreign Ministry swiped back at Pope Francis, whose Christmas address criticized Israeli airstrikes in Gaza as "cruelty."
"Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them," the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday night.
"Unfortunately, the Pope has chosen to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israel's actions have targeted terrorists who used children as human shields," the Foreign Ministry said. "The pope's remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel's fight against jihadist terrorism -- a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7."
The Pope opened his annual address to Catholic cardinals on Saturday by remarking, "Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart."
The comments follow a recent controversy over a Nativity scene at the Vatican which featured baby Jesus wrapped in a Palestinian keffiyeh. Images of Pope Francis inaugurating the scene on Dec. 7 created a backlash. Israel's Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli accused the pontiff of perpetuating a "dangerous blood libel" against Israel and distorting history.
The scene was removed days later without explanation.
In November, the Pope raised Israeli ire for calling for an investigation of Israeli "war crimes" and "genocide" in Gaza.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014. (ANI/TPS)