conflict
Pope Leo calls for ceasefire after Catholic church hit in Gaza
Quick Hit:
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, urging world leaders to abide by international humanitarian law and protect civilians. His remarks followed a deadly strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza, which killed three people and injured ten, including the parish priest.
Key Details:
- Speaking from his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo after his Sunday Angelus prayer, the pope denounced the ongoing violence in Gaza as “barbarity” and reiterated his plea for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
- The pontiff expressed “deep sorrow” over Thursday’s Israeli strike on the Holy Family Church, which also damaged the church grounds where hundreds had taken refuge.
- Pope Leo urged nations to uphold international law, condemning collective punishment, indiscriminate force, and the displacement of civilians, and stressed that “the world no longer tolerates war.”
Diving Deeper:
On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV issued a renewed and urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, directly condemning what he described as the “barbarity” of the conflict. Addressing pilgrims and faithful gathered for the traditional Angelus prayer, the pope said, “I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
His remarks came days after an Israeli strike hit the Holy Family Catholic Church—the only such church in Gaza—leaving three people dead and injuring ten others, including the parish priest. According to reports, the church compound had served as a shelter for hundreds of civilians attempting to escape the violence of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has now entered its 21st month.
Pope Leo expressed his “deep sorrow” over the attack, urging the global community to honor humanitarian norms. “I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,” he said.
While Israel called the incident an accident and said it is under investigation, the strike has reignited international concern over civilian casualties and the safety of places of worship during conflict.
Earlier in the day, after leading a Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano, the pontiff spoke briefly with journalists. “We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,” he said. “The world no longer tolerates war.”
The pope’s remarks continue a pattern of Vatican appeals for restraint, peace, and humanitarian relief as the war drags on with no immediate end in sight. His message underscored the Vatican’s growing alarm over the toll the conflict is taking on noncombatants and religious institutions alike.
Artificial Intelligence
AI Drone ‘Swarms’ Unleashed On Ukraine Battlefields, Marking New Era Of Warfare
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
Artificial intelligence-powered drones are making their first appearances on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war as warfare creeps closer to full automation.
In bombardments on Russian targets in the past year, Ukrainian drones acting in concert were able to independently determine where to strike without human input.
It’s the first battlefield use of AI “swarm” technology in a real-world environment, a senior Ukrainian official and Swarmer, the company who makes the software, told the Wall Street Journal in a Tuesday report. While drones have increasingly defined modern battlefields, swarms until now had been confined to testing rather than combat.
“You set the target and the drones do the rest,” Swarmer Chief Executive Serhii Kupriienko told the WSJ. “They work together, they adapt.”
So far, the Swarmer technology has been used hundreds of times to target Russia assets, but was first used a year ago to lay mines on the front, the Ukrainian official told the WSJ. The software has been tested with up to 25 drones at once, but is usually utilized with only three.
Kupriienko told the WSJ that he was preparing to test up to 100 drones at once with the linking software.
A common arrangement used on the battlefield includes one reconnaissance drone to scout out the target and two explosive drones delivering the payload on target, the official told the WSJ.
While Western nations such as the U.S., France and the United Kingdom are also pursuing drone swarm technology, they have not deployed swarm technology on the battlefield the way Ukraine has, according to the WSJ. Currently, autonomous weapons are not regulated by any international authority or binding agreement, but ethical concerns around the technology has led many to call for increased regulation of weapons like the Swarmer system.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
The Department of Defense has spent months blocking the Ukrainian military from using American and British-made missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eldridge Colby reportedly designed the procedure to review requests to carry out the long-range strikes with weapons that are either of U.S. origin or that require American intelligence or use components provided by the U.S., according to the WSJ. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly has the final say on whether Ukrainian forces can use the MGM-140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) to hit targets in Russia.
The reported blocks on missile strikes coincides with a Trump administration effort to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment further on the matter.
BREAKING: President Vladimir Putin reacts to B-2 Flyover pic.twitter.com/1mzVn7DxlW
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) August 15, 2025
The Biden administration allowed Ukraine to carry out strikes with ATACMS in November, weeks after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the New York Times reported. Trump criticized the move during a December interview with Time magazine.
“It’s crazy what’s taking place. It’s crazy,” Trump said. “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.”
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Aug. 15 for a summit meeting during which Trump sought to secure a cease-fire in Russia’s war with Ukraine. As Trump greeted Putin, a B-2A Spirit stealth bomber and several fighters carried out a flyover of Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and major European leaders on Aug. 18 to update them on the summit.
In July, Trump reached an agreement with NATO where members of the alliance would purchase weapons, including MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missiles, and donate them to Ukraine.
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