Jerusalem’s church leaders have defended a meeting with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog that sparked criticism from Palestinians, saying they used it to demand an end to bloodshed in Gaza, AFP reports.

The meeting, attended by patriarchs and heads of churches in the city, including the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, triggered condemnation not just from Hamas but also the Palestinian community critical of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

In a joint statement defending the meeting, the church leaders said the meeting was “not a mere exchange of holiday season pleasantries”.

It was aimed, they said, at “demanding, on behalf of Christians worldwide, an immediate cessation of the bloodshed in Gaza”.