At the noon prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis called for a cease-fire and for “the continuation of negotiations” to bring about the release of hostages taken by Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“Americans should be against killing Israelis but also against killing Palestinians,” the political activist Mustafa Barghouti said in an interview with Gerard O’Connell.

One might criticize Pope Francis' statements about the war in Gaza, but they should not be confused with the question of the Catholic Church’s relationship with the Jewish people.

“The struggle to secure our daily bread is exhausting. There is a shortage of everything. Nutritious food is non-existent. We have run out of medications and vitamins.”

What happens in the aftermath of the I.D.F.’s Rafah assault remains hard to discern. Where do the Palestinians go next? How will they live? How will they be fed and sheltered?

Many in the Arab and Muslim communities are distressed that interfaith leaders and organizations seem unable to take a clear moral and ethical stand against the war on Gaza.