Pope Francis is seen during the weekly audience in Saint Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Feb. 27, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Yara Nardi.

JNS.org – Pope Francis stepped up his criticism of Israeli counter-terrorism raids in Gaza on Sunday, decrying what he described as “cruelty” for the second time in as many days after Jerusalem accused him of singling out the Jewish state.

“And with pain, I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty,” the pontiff said after a prayer service.

On Saturday, Francis drew a rebuke from the Israeli government after he accused the Israel Defense Forces of attacking babies in Gaza. “This is cruelty,” the head of the Catholic Church said. “This is not war.”

“In response to the pope’s statement today: Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated. “Cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them.”

Francis “unfortunately” opted “to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israel’s actions have targeted terrorists who used children as human shields,” the Israeli government said.

“The pope’s remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism—a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on Oct. 7,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

“The death of any innocent person in a war is a tragedy. Israel makes extraordinary efforts to prevent harm to innocents, while Hamas makes extraordinary efforts to increase harm to Palestinian civilians,” it added

“The blame should be directed solely at the terrorists, not at the democracy defending itself against them. Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people.”

Earlier this month, a nativity scene displayed in Vatican City featured the infant Jesus clad in a keffiyeh. After immediate backlash, from Christian and some Jewish groups, it was removed.