Singer Madonna called on Pope Leo XIV to “go and open the humanitarian gates” of Gaza, in an Instagram post on Monday.
“Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late,” Madonna wrote, adding that she cannot bear as a mother to see the suffering of the children in Gaza.
She continued, stating that the pope is the only one who wouldn’t be denied entry to the enclave.
“We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children,” the post added.
Madonna further stressed, “There is no more time. Please say you will go,” she begged.
In her post, Madonna explained that she is not placing blame or taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war. "Everyone is suffering, including the mothers of the hostages. I pray that they are released as well."
"I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation," she wrote.
She also tagged organizations to donate to, including World Central Kitchen, Women Wage Peace, and Women of the Sun.
Women Wage Peace responded, saying, “We thank Madonna for her support, recognition, and trust in the work of our movement and of the Palestinian movement Women of the Sun. This is an important encouragement in such difficult days. Women Wage Peace will continue, in every possible way, to work to end the war, to promote a political solution, and to ensure a future of security and peace for all the children of the region – Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Pope Leo calls for an end to Gaza war
Last month, Pope Leo XIV called for an end to the "barbarity of war" as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza.
"I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population," he said.
A day after the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the pope in a phone call that Israel is in advanced stages of negotiations for the release of hostages, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.
During the call, the pope renewed his appeal for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, and expressed his concern over the "dramatic" humanitarian situation in the Strip, a Vatican statement said.
Pope Leo XIV also stressed the urgent need to protect places of worship, the faithful, and all people in the Palestinian territories and Israel, the statement added.
Reuters contributed to this report.