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.

The Catholic Church pontiff made his most explicit criticism yet of Israel’s conduct in extracts from an upcoming book.

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.