Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, expressing his deep sorrow over the humanitarian situation there, the Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.

This came in a speech he delivered during his first Sunday prayer from his office overlooking St Peter's Square in the Vatican.

The pope - who suceeded the late Pope Francis on Thursday - touched on the situation in Gaza, saying that he was deeply pained by what was happening in the Gaza Strip.

He called for "an immediate ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian aid to exhausted civilians."

The pope also delivered messages related to international developments, noting the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

"This war has cost 60 million lives. As the late Pope Francis repeatedly stated, we are today facing the dramatic spectacle of a Third World War being fought piecemeal,” he said.

"I appeal to the world's great powers, and I repeat the appeal that remains unwavering: never again war,” he added.

- Bernama