ROME, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has suggested the global community should study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel's conduct in its year-long war.

It’s the first time that Pope Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

The call was released in excerpts published on Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of Pope Francis's jubilee year.View on euronews

Francis has not previously described the situation in Gaza as a genocide in public. But last year he was at the centre of a messy dispute after a meeting with a group of Palestinians at the Vatican, who insisted he had used the word with them in private, while the Vatican said he had not.

Pope Francis has spoken in favour of an investigation into the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in his forthcoming book, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported on Sunday.

His call for a probe marks the first time he has publicly used the term genocide - without endorsing it - in the context of Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory.

In September, he said Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been “immoral” and disproportionate, and that its military has gone beyond the rules of war.

Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcomin