Pope Leo XIV met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Apostolic palace in the Vatican on Thursday.

Pope Leo XIV and his top diplomats told Israel’s president that a two-state solution was the “only way out of the war,” as the Vatican called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and entry of humanitarian aid to famine-stricken Palestinians there.

The Vatican issued an unusually detailed statement following Leo’s meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog, for his part, said he had asked Leo to meet with families of the hostages, and called for intensified international efforts to secure their release.

The audience marked the first by history’s first American pope with the Israeli head of state.

Leo spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July after an Israeli shell slammed into the only Catholic church in Gaza, killing three people and wounding the parish priest.

Herzog, whose role as president is largely ceremonial, has called for unity and compromise since taking office.

The Vatican has tried to maintain its tradition of diplomatic neutrality throughout the war, calling for the return of hostages while denouncing Israel’s attacks against civilians in Gaza.

But both Pope Francis before, and Leo since his election in May, have voiced mounting outrage at Israel’s actions in Gaza, with the late pope calling for an investigation to determine if they constituted genocide.

In its statement after the audience, the Vatican said that during the talks the Vatican conveyed hope "that negotiations would resume promptly so that, with goodwill and courageous decisions, as well as the support of the international community, it would be possible to secure the release of all hostages, urgently achieve a permanent ceasefire, facilitate the safe entry of humanitarian aid into the most affected areas, and ensure full respect for humanitarian law, as well as the legitimate aspirations of both peoples.”

Israel has denied the genocide charge, saying it only targets militants and takes measures to spare civilians.

It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas.