Castel Gandolfo, Italy - Pope Leo XIV called on Sunday for an end to Israel's repeated acts of violence against the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank.

"I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank," the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics said in the town of Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

He urgently called on the international community to advance the two-state solution "for a just and lasting peace."

This describes a scenario in which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would coexist peacefully.

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Violence by Israeli soldiers and settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased in recent years.

Radical settlers have been besieging Palestinian homes in the northern West Bank village of Qusra for a week. The US, a close ally of Israel, recently called on Israel to remove the settlers from the village.

Since October 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers, according to Palestinian figures.