Pope Francis has deplored a lack of progress in negotiations to end Israel’s offensive in Gaza, while calling out the death of babies in Israeli bombings, AFP reports.

“Forgive me for saying so but I don’t see any progress being made towards peace,” said the 87-year-old pope, who has repeatedly spoken out against the violence in Gaza.

Speaking to journalists aboard the papal plane on his return to Rome from Singapore following a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific, Francis said that every day he calls the Catholic Church’s parish in Gaza, where he said some 600 people, Muslims and Christians, are sheltered.

“They tell me horrible things, difficult things,” said Francis. “I can’t judge whether this war action is too bloody or not,” he added.

“But please, when you see the bodies of babies killed, when you see that, under the presumption that some guerrillas are there, a school is bombed, this is ugly.”