Pope Francis criticised on Monday what he called the "shameful inability" of the international community to end the war in the Middle East, one year after Hamas' devastating attack on Israel.

Francis drew attacks over clergy sexual abuse, the role of women in the church and his stance on abortion, reflecting difficulties the church faces in the West.

In the past year in the Gaza Strip, Israel has bombed more than 40,000 targets, found 4,700 tunnel shafts and destroyed 1,000 rocket launcher sites, the military said on Monday's one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led militant attacks that triggered Israel's assault on the enclave.