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.

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.

Pope Francis looks down as he leads holy mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on September 8, 2024. Tiziana Fabi, AFP/FileVATICAN CITY, Holy See -- Pope Francis for the first time tackled claims of Israel's ongoing "genocide" of Palestinians in Gaza in a forthcoming book,

The call was released in excerpts published on Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of Pope Francis's jubilee year.View on euronews

In new book, Catholic leader says accusations of Israel's genocide in Gaza from 'experts' should be looked into

Pope Francis has called for a thorough investigation to determine if Israel's military actions in Gaza amount to genocide. This marks some of his most direct criticism of Israel. The statement follows a pending case at the International Court of Justice against Israel over potential violations of the Genocide Convention.

Nearly 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Hamas launched surprise attacks that killed about 1,200 people in Israel last yea.