Pontiff calls for humanitarian aid to be let into Gaza and an end to hostilities as international pressure grows on Israel.

Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, calling for an end to hostilities "whose heartbreaking price is being paid by the children, elderly, and the sick."

The pontiff made the appeal on Wednesday at the conclusion of his first general audience in St Peter's Square, an event attended by tens of thousands of people.

In remarks to Italian pilgrims, the newly elected pope described the situation in the Palestinian enclave as "increasingly worrying and painful", Vatican News reports.

International aid organisations say the humanitarian emergency in Gaza is at a breaking point, as Palestinians are still waiting for supplies to arrive after Israel eased an 11-week blockade on Sunday.

Israeli officials said 93 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza on Tuesday, however the United Nations said that the supplies are sitting in a warehouse and have yet to be distributed to the starving population.

The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, told the BBC on Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in 48 hours if aid did not reach them.

Earlier this month the Vatican announced that a popemobile used by Pope Francis was being converted into a mobile healthcare unit for children in Gaza, in line with the late pontiff's final wishes.

Up until just before his death on Easter Monday, Francis telephoned the Holy Family Church in Gaza almost every night for 19 months to speak to church leaders and members of the tiny Christian population in the besieged territory.

Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.