In the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had a frequent ritual: He would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war.

Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called Hamas "sons of dogs" and called for the disarmament of the group and the release of the Israeli hostages, CNN reported. He called for stopping the "Israeli genocide that the Gaza Strip is being subjected to" a top priority.

The president of the Palestinian Authority told a meeting in the occupied West Bank that Hamas had given Israel "excuses" to continue its attacks on Gaza, and told it to "release the hostages and be done with it".

The Palestinian Authority president called on Hamas to release the hostages, disarm and cease its governance of Gaza, as the world pushes for an end to the ongoing war.