The office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered its condolences for Pope Francis, four days after his death.
An earlier offer of condolences posted on social media by the official state account of Israel had previously been deleted, causing considerable controversy within the country.
Israel is also sending a relatively low-level delegation to the late pontiff's funeral on Saturday, with only the country's Vatican ambassador in attendance.
All of this has been seen in Israel and elsewhere as a sign of the Israeli government's displeasure with Pope Francis's impassioned remarks on the war in Gaza.
Belatedly and somewhat impersonally, the Israeli prime minister's office issued a two sentence offer of condolences on Thursday night.
It read: "The State of Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the Catholic Church and the Catholic community worldwide at the passing of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace."
The tone of the original message tweeted by the verified @Israel account on X on the day of the Pope's death was noticeably warmer.
It featured a photo of Pope Francis at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and concluded: "May his memory be a blessing."
But it was swiftly withdrawn, without explanation.
