Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau called on Pope Francis to retract his statements on the murder of two Palestinian women in a churchyard in the Gaza Strip after the great Pontiff described it as an "act of terror."

"The State of Israel embarked on a just war in the face of attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen that threatened the very existence of the State," the Israeli Rabbi claimed.

"[The killing of two women in the Churchyard in Gaza], however, does not turn us into terrorists," he argued. "We are doing everything possible to prevent and reduce harm to civilians," he further claimed, as the Israeli occupation's crimes have thus far killed more than 20,400 Palestinians.

Pope Francis stated that "Israel" was using "terrorism" tactics in Gaza, commenting on the killing by the Israeli military of two Christian women who had taken refuge in a church complex.

At his weekly blessing, the Pope referred to a statement about an incident on Saturday by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic authority in the Holy Land.

The Patriarchate said an Israeli sniper killed the two women, Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar, as they walked to a convent of nuns in the compound of the Holy Family Parish.

The Patriarchate statement said seven other people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others.

"I continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza," Francis said. "Unarmed civilians are the objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened even inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick or disabled, nuns."

The Great Pontiff had earlier described Israeli actions in Gaza as "acts of terror," The Washington Post reported. It was when Herzog was describing the "horrors" of the Oct. 7 operation that the Pope stopped him in his tracks issuing a blunt rejoinder.

"It is forbidden to respond with terror," Francis said, according to a senior Israeli official familiar with the call.

This information, not previously reported, reveals a direct exchange during which the Pope maintained his position, emphasizing the necessity of holding accountable those responsible for targeting civilians.

In this statement, the Pope characterized the struggle as having "gone beyond war" and labeled it as "terrorism". Coupled with the undisclosed diplomatic exchange, this implied that the Pope was denouncing "Israel's" campaign in Gaza as an "act of terrorism," as suggested by a senior Israeli official speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The public remarks by Pope Francis have triggered strong reactions from pro-Israeli groups, including the American Jewish Committee, and reignited historical tensions between some Jewish leaders and the Vatican, the report added.