Madonna Appeals to Pope Leo XIV to Visit Gaza Amid Starvation Crisis

Pop icon Madonna has called on Pope Leo XIV to visit the Gaza Strip, currently under blockade, as the region faces a severe starvation crisis sparking global concern.

“You are the only one of us that cannot be denied entry,” Madonna wrote on social media platform X late Monday, urging the Pope to open humanitarian gates and save innocent children trapped in the conflict.

“There is no more time,” she added.

Marking the 25th birthday of her son, Rocco Ritchie, Madonna announced plans to donate to humanitarian organizations aiding Gaza. “The best gift I can give as a mother is to ask everyone to do what they can to help save innocent children caught in the crossfire,” she said.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), this form of malnutrition poses the greatest threat to life.

Israel controls access to Gaza, enforcing a blockade that has severely restricted aid deliveries since March. While a controversial private system began allowing some deliveries between March and May, larger convoys have only recently been permitted amid mounting international pressure. Aid airdrops also continue overhead.

On Sunday, Irish rock band U2 sharply criticized the Israeli government’s actions. “We know Hamas are using starvation as a weapon in the war, but now so too is Israel and I feel revulsion for the moral failure,” frontman Bono said.