Pope Francis again called for a stop to the fighting in Israel and Palestine, as he appealed to both sides: “Brothers, stop! Stop!” He also called for humanitarian aid to be let into Gaza and for the release of the hostages being held by Hamas when he addressed thousands of pilgrims from around the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Oct. 26.
“Once again, my thoughts go to what is happening in Israel and Palestine. I am very worried and pained at what is happening,” the pope said, speaking from the third floor of the apostolic palace.
“I think of the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” he said, referring to the siege imposed by Israel on this 140-square-mile enclave that has left the 2.2 million Palestinians that live there (47 percent under the age of 18) without electricity, gas, food, water or medical supplies. He appealed for “spaces to be opened up” so that “humanitarian aid can get in there.” Yesterday, Oct. 21, Israel allowed 20 trucks carrying medical aid, food and 40,000 litres of water to enter through the Rafah crossing from Egypt into southern Gaza. The United Nations and aid agencies have said this is but “a drop in the ocean” and not enough to satisfy the basic needs of the Palestinian population in Gaza.
Pope Francis also spoke about the Anglican Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which was hit by a rocket last Tuesday, Oct. 17, killing hundreds, according to the Gaza Ministry for Health. Palestinians blame Israel for the attack, while Israel and the United States have said the rocket was fired by the Islamic Jihad.
During the Angelus, the pope also mentioned the Greek Orthodox parish church of St. Porphyrios that was hit two days later, on the night of Oct. 19, by an Israeli missile, in which at least 16 people were killed, including a Caritas worker, her husband and infant daughter, along with an entire family of 10 people. The Christian leaders of Jerusalem have condemned the attack.
Speaking publicly for the fifth time since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and more than 200 hostages were taken into Gaza, Pope Francis again appealed for “all the hostages to be freed.” Two hostages, a mother and daughter from the United States, were released on Friday, Oct. 20, but 212 more remain, from Israel and many other countries, according to the latest figure given by the Israeli Defense Force today.
“War, every war in the world—I think also of the martyred Ukraine—is a defeat,” Pope Francis said. “War is always a defeat. It is a destruction of human fraternity.”
He concluded with a heartfelt appeal to Israelis and Palestinians: “Brothers, stop! Stop!”
America has learned that Pope Francis and Vatican officials are deeply concerned that the war, especially if it results in a ground invasion by Israel into Gaza, could escalate and bring in other actors including Palestinians in the West Bank and Hezbollah in Lebanon, already exchanging fire with Israel, and, perhaps even Iran. The total blockade on Gaza and the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital has sparked outrage and anger across the Arab world and beyond and led to massive demonstrations in cities worldwide.
The war that started on Oct. 7 is now in its 15th day. Some 1,400 Israelis have been killed by Hamas. Since Hamas’s attack, more than 4,651 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza. Another 90 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, and over 1,000 have been arrested.
Francis added in his address, “I remind you that next Friday, Oct. 27, I have proclaimed a day of fasting, prayer and penance, and that evening at 18 p.m. in Saint Peter’s Square we will spend an hour in prayer to implore peace in the world.”
