By Christopher Wells

The Bishops of the United States are calling on their government, and the whole international community, “to exert every effort to renew multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran.”

The current conflict erupted on Friday when Israel launched air raids on Iran that killed senior military officials, as well as scientists working on Iran’s nuclear program. Iran responded with missile and rocket strikes on targets in Israel. More than 220 people in Iran and 21 people in Israel have been killed in the attacks, which continued into Tuesday.

In a statement published by the US Bishops’ Conference, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, warned that “The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region.”

The duty to support the cause of peace

Quoting Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Zaidan said, “It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace by initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.”

He joined the prayer of Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran, that “peace through dialogue based on a consensus will prevail.”

At the same time, Bishop Zaidan called on the Catholic faithful, and all men and women of good will, “to ardently pray for an end to the hostilities in the Middle East.”

Israel attacks kill Palestinians awaiting aid in Gaza

As violence between Israel and Iran escalates, the Israeli army’s offensive in Gaza continues.

On Tuesday, Gazan authorities reported at least 51 Palestinians were killed as they waited for aid trucks in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the allegations.

News agencies reported eyewitness accounts of Israeli tanks firing into the crowds awaiting humanitarian aid. It is the latest in a series of incidents resulting in mass deaths of Palestinian civilians.