Jerusalem church leaders defend meeting Israeli president

Jerusalem's church leaders on Saturday defended a meeting with Israel's President Isaac Herzog that sparked criticism from Palestinians, saying they used it to demand an end to bloodshed in Gaza.

A statement from the president's office announced the meeting on Thursday, quoting Herzog as saying that he expected the "Christian world to express clear condemnation" of the deadly October 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel.

The meeting, attended by patriarchs and heads of churches in the city including the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, triggered condemnation not just from the militant group Hamas but also the Palestinian community critical of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

In a joint statement defending the meeting, the church leaders said the meeting was "not a mere exchange of holiday season pleasantries".

It was aimed, they said, at "demanding, on behalf of Christians worldwide, an immediate cessation of the bloodshed in Gaza".

Hamas had earlier denounced the meeting, saying in a statement that it was "shocked" by the image of Christian leaders in occupied Palestinian territories meeting with Herzog and accused them of not speaking out "about the difficult times our people are facing".

The war erupted after Hamas's unprecedented attack on October 7, which left around 1,140 people killed in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where more than 20,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.