The Church of England has said in a statement that the manner in which Israel is conducting its onslaught on Gaza “cannot be morally justified”, Al Jazeera reports.

“With the onset of Israel’s ground offensive into Rafah, we call for an immediate ceasefire. The relentless bombardment of Gaza and its huge cost in civilian lives and civilian infrastructure must stop,” the statement says.

The Church of England also called for all remaining captives being held in Gaza to be released and a halt to missile attacks on Israel by Hamas.

Earlier, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also said the death toll in Gaza was unjustifiable and called for “Israel’s right to defence to be proportionate”.

“The voice of those asking Israel to stop is a general voice, [saying] that they can’t continue like this and we must find other paths to solve the Gaza problem,” he said.