The Pope condemns the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip

“My heart grieves for the victims of the heinous attack on October 7 and I urge once again the release of those still held hostage,” the 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church said in his “Urbi et orbi” (“To the City and the World”) address. – I am asking for an end to the military operations, during which innocent civilians are being horribly killed, and I am calling for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by opening the way for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Almost three months after the start of the war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, according to the United Nations, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic, with 85 percent residents were forced to leave their homes.

The war began when Hamas militants broke through the militarized Gaza border on October 7 and attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli intelligence.

According to Israeli authorities, Palestinian militants have also kidnapped about 250 people, 129 of whom remain in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has vowed to crush Hamas and has launched a retaliatory military campaign in the Gaza Strip, including heavy aerial bombardment, which has killed at least 20,424 people, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian Territory.

Israel controls access to the Gaza Strip, and aid flows into it from Egypt. Last week, Israel allowed aid to flow through the Kerem Shalom crossing, but it is not enough to meet the needs of the devastated area.

The Pope also called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “through sincere and persistent dialogue between the parties, supported by strong political will and the support of the international community.”

On Sunday, Pope Francis called for peace in the Holy Land on the occasion of Christmas.

“Tonight our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once again rejected because of the fruitless logic of war, because of the arms race that still prevents him from finding a place in the world today,” the Pope said.

In his Christmas address on Monday, he condemned the arms industry and hostilities around the world.

“If a man whose heart is unstable and wounded is given the tools of death, sooner or later he will use them.” And how can we talk about peace if the production, sale and distribution of weapons is growing?”, the Pope told thousands of believers gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Peace to Ukraine

Over 1.3 billion In his speech, the Catholic leader also mentioned the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, saying that he prays “for the speedy recovery of political and social stability”.

Francis also said he was praying for peace in Ukraine, which for the first time celebrates Christmas on December 25, abandoning the traditional Russian Orthodox date of January 7.

“Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to the people who suffer, so that with the support of each one of us, they feel the concreteness of God’s love,” he said.

The pontiff also called for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been embroiled in a territorial conflict for decades, saying: “Let it be achieved through humanitarian initiatives, the safe return of displaced persons to their homes, and respect for the religious traditions and places of worship of each community.”

Francis also referred to “conflicts affecting the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.”

He expressed hope that tensions on the Korean Peninsula would be resolved when “paths of dialogue and reconciliation are opened that can create the conditions for lasting peace.”

The Argentinian pontiff dedicated his last words to the American continent, urging “all people of good will to find appropriate solutions to overcome social and political disagreements, fight forms of poverty that violate human dignity, eliminate inequality and address the painful phenomenon of migration.”