Pope Francis has decried the killing of Palestinian children in Israeli military strikes in besieged Gaza, calling bombings of schools, on the “presumption” of striking Hamas resistance fighters, “ugly”. Aboard the flight back to Rome from Singapore on Friday, the pontiff expressed doubt about an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. “I am sorry to have to say this,” the pope said. “But I do not think that they are taking steps to make peace.”