Several Jewish organizations have spoken out against various comments by Pope Francis regarding the war in Israel. Specifically, the statements in which he called the defense of the Israelis "terrorism."

The pope spoke out after meeting separately with relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and with relatives of Palestinians in Gaza. The pope then asked for prayers so that both parties do not continue with "passions" that in the end "kill everyone."

"This is what wars do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism," the pope said in statements reported by Reuters.

After the statements, the American Jewish Committee claimed that terrorism is what Hamas is doing while Israel tries to defend itself. "Hamas’ butchering and kidnapping of civilians is terrorism. Israel’s self-defense is not. Vatican, please clarify," the organization wrote in a message addressed to Pope Francis.

"All the suffering is in the hands of Hamas"

The Simon Wiesenthal Center had a similar reaction. It asked the pope "not to forget that all the loss and suffering since October 7th stems from the intolerable actions of Hamas." This was part of a statement posted on the center's X account (formerly Twitter).

Meanwhile, Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the organization and director of Global Social Action, pointed out that the massacre committed by Hamas that October 7 is the worst mass murder of Jews since the defeat of Nazi Germany and World War II.

“While appropriate for Pope Francis to meet the families of hostages and people who are suffering in Gaza, it is important for one of the world’s primary faith leaders, for whom people of all faiths look to spiritual and moral guidance, not to forget that all those who came to speak and seek solace from him, all their suffering, all their loss, are on the hands of the Hamas terrorists who, on October 7th, inflicted in the most brutal way, the worst mass murder of Jews since the defeat of Nazi Germany and World War II,” Cooper said.

"Israel must be annihilated"

The Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis (ARI) accused the pope of publicly accusing both sides of terrorism. Reuters reported that "It went on to accuse unnamed "Church leaders" of not condemning the Hamas attack and of 'putting the aggressor and the attacked on the same plane in the name of a supposed impartiality.'"

At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7. Furthermore, at the beginning of the month, one of the leaders of the Hamas political apparatus, Ghazi Hamad claimed that "Israel must be annihilated." Hamad pointed out that killing civilians, including children and babies, on October 7 "is justified" and that it was "only the first time, there will be a second, a third, a fourth..."