Addressing the faithful in his first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo XIV spoke of "rubble and open wounds" and "defenseless populations" left behind by wars.
The US-born religious leader described the story of Jesus Christ's birth in a stable as a sign of God pitching "his fragile tent" among the poorest and most desperate people of the world.
"How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?" he asked.
"Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths," the pope added.
Leo, who succeeded Pope Francis earlier this year, has tended to oid direct references to politics in his sermons in the past.
Humanitarian agencies say despite the ceasefire in October between Israel and Hamas there is still too little aid getting into Gaza, where nearly the entire population is homeless.
In Thursday's service with thousands in St. Peter's Basilica, Leo also lamented conditions for the homeless across the globe and the destruction caused by the wars roiling the world.
In Gaza, flooded shelters make life unbearable for displacedTo view this video please enable JaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video