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Pope Francis meets with relatives of Israeli hostages & Palestinians living in Gaza

22 Nov 2023

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Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinians living through the war and begged for an end to what he called terrorism and “the passions that are killing everyone.”

Quick Read

Meetings with Hostage Relatives and Palestinians: Pope Francis met separately with relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and a delegation of Palestinians affected by the war.
Timing of Meetings: These meetings occurred before the announcement of the Israeli-Hamas hostage deal and the temporary cease-fire.
Pope’s Appeal for Peace: Pope Francis strongly condemned what he called “terrorism” and the destructive passions fueling the conflict, urging for peace.
Concern for Both Sides: The Pope expressed his concern for the suffering experienced by both Israelis and Palestinians.
Vatican’s Diplomatic Neutrality: Francis, maintaining the Vatican’s diplomatic neutrality, has been vocal in calling for an end to the war.
Special Concern for Christians in Gaza: The Vatican expressed particular concern about the plight of Christians in the Gaza Strip.
Casualty Figures: The conflict, following Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, resulted in about 1,200 deaths in Israel and over 11,000 deaths in Gaza, as per Palestinian health authorities.

The Associated Press has the story:

Pope Francis meets with relatives of Israeli hostages & Palestinians living in Gaza

Newslooks- VATICAN (AP)

Members of Palestinian community attend at the Pope Francis’ weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Francis spoke about the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians after his meetings, which were arranged before the Israeli-Hamas hostage deal and a temporary halt in fighting was announced. Francis didn’t refer to the deal, which marked the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since the war erupted following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Pope Francis gives his blessing during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Francis said he met at the Vatican with relatives of some of the 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and separately with a delegation of Palestinians, whom the Vatican said had relatives in Gaza. In the VIP seats of St. Peter’s Square were people holding Palestinian flags and scarves as well as small posters showing apparent bodies in a ditch and the word “Genocide” written underneath.

Alexandra Ariev, center, speaks during a press conference at the Italian Jewish Center in Rome, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, with other representatives of the families of the Israelis abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 and believed to be held hostages in Gaza, shortly after they met with Pope Francis at The Vatican. Ariev, an Israeli soldier, was abducted by Hamas militants from her base during her mandatory military service during the militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that resulted in the killing of 1,400 people and the abduction of over 220. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

“Here we’ve gone beyond war. This isn’t war anymore, this is terrorism,” Francis said. “Please, let us go ahead with peace. Pray for peace, pray a lot for peace.”

He also asked for God to help both Israeli and Palestinian people “resolve problems and not go ahead with passions that are killing everyone in the end.”

Evgenia Kozlov gets emotional during a press conference at the Italian Jewish Center in Rome, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, with other representatives of the families of the Israelis abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 and believed to be held hostages in Gaza, shortly after they met with Pope Francis at The Vatican. Her 27-year-old son Andrei, depicted in the framed photograph, a Russian citizen, was abducted by Hamas militants from the “Nova” Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im during the militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that resulted in the killing of 1,400 people and the abduction of over 220. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Francis has spoken out repeatedly calling for an end to the war and has tried to maintain the Vatican’s typical diplomatic neutrality in conflicts. The Vatican is particularly concerned about the plight of Christians in Gaza.

Pope Francis holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Hamas attack last month killed about 1,200 people in Israel. Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed more than 11,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.