# Pope Leo spoke by phone to the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, about the conflict in Gaza and violence in the West Bank. It was the first official conversation between the two men since Leo’s papacy began. The Vatican says the pope emphasised the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable. It followed a call on Friday between the pope and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a day after a strike by Israel on Gaza’s only Catholic Church that killed three people.
Pope Leo speaks to Abbas and Netanyahu about war in Gaza