Pope Benedict XVI renewed appeals for an end to "the blind violence" bloodying Iraq and the Holy Land.

He also called on world leaders to begin making "a serious and credible commitment to peace" and justice --- efforts, Pope Benedict said, that have yet to be made.

After praying the Sunday Angelus July 2 before thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, the pope said he continued to follow "with growing concern" the latest tragedies unfolding in the Middle East.

His appeal came the day after a massive explosion killed at least 66 people when a car bomb detonated July 1 in a market in a Shiite Muslim neighborhood of Baghdad.

Since the pope's appeal, another outdoor market was bombed July 2 south of Baghdad, leaving at least three people dead. At least seven people died and dozens more were wounded July 3 when a car bomb exploded near a market packed with civilians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Meanwhile, an Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip has left five Palestinians dead. Israel began strikes on Gaza in an attempt to speed the release of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

Pope Benedict said that the latest violence results in "atrocious massacres" and threatens to "aggravate the crises" that have become "even more tragic" the past few days.

He said justice and a "serious and credible commitment to peace which unfortunately has not been seen" are needed.

He asked that no one feel exempt from "the duty to build a peaceful coexistence" in which everyone recognized the other as a brother or sister regardless of race or nationality.

---CNS