The Archbishop of York has told of his profound sorrow over the suffering being experienced on both sides of the conflict in Gaza.

Dr John Sentamu said in a statement on Friday that he had held back from commenting on the situation so far because he had been reduced to silence by the extent of the suffering.

“I have received letters, calls and e-mails asking me why I haven’t spoken out in the situation in Gaza,” he wrote on his website on Friday.

“The answer is that up until now I have not known what to say. The incomprehensible suffering of the innocent leaves one in a place of profound sorrow and silence in the face of such suffering.”

Palestinian officials say at least 1,105 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 5,000 wounded since Israel launched a military offensive to stop rocket attacks by Hamas militants on its territory.

Hospitals in Gaza City say they are struggling to cope with the high volume of wounded civilians in the face of severe shortages of medicine, power and other basic necessities.

The Archbishop called on people to pray for the situation in Gaza.

“It is essential at such times that we engage in prayer even if we feel in the light of such suffering that our prayers are going straight into a concrete bucket, unanswered and unheard. But suffering ultimately calls for a response and that response is prayer.”

He added that God was in the midst of the suffering.

“When people ask where is God in all of this, all I can say is that whenever people experience violence at the hands of others, God is there with them, being violated and blasphemed.”