Pope Francis called for humanitarian corridors to be organized to help the entire population of the Gaza Strip and renewed his call for the release of captives at the hands of the Islamist group Hamas.
In his new appeal, during the Angelus prayer at St. Peter’s Square, the Pope once again asked strongly that children, the sick, the elderly, women and all civilians are not victims of conflict “and that “human rights” are guaranteed, especially in Gaza.
Francis urged “to do not shed innocent blood neither in the Holy Land, nor in Ukraine, nor anywhere else” and emphasized that “wars are always a defeat.”
“I follow with great pain what is happening in Israel and Palestine and I think above all the many children and the elderly. I renew the call for the release of the captives and I sincerely request that those children, the sick, the elderly, women, and civilians are not victims of conflict,” said Francis, leaning against the window of the apostolic palace for the Angelus prayer.
And he added: “Humanitarian law must be respected especially in Gaza at home where it is urgent and necessary to guarantee humanitarian corridors to help the entire population.”
Angelus prayer by Pope Francis
The pope regretted that so many people had died and showed that “prayer is a holy and quiet strength and that is what must be offered to the devil’s forces of hatred, terrorism,m, and war.”
He also invited all believers to join the Church of the Holy Land to dedicate next Tuesday, October 17, a day of prayer and fasting.
There were more than 2,300 dead in Gaza and more than 1,400 in Israel
The number of deaths from Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza has reached 2,329 surpassing the total balance of the 2014 war that lasted almost two months and which is still the bloodiest experienced in the Palestinian enclave.
The indiscriminate Israeli attack also caused 9,042 injuries, according to the latest data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, which Israel’s campaign is called “ethnic cleansing” which was caused by a surprise attack a week ago by the Islamist group Hamas.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has confirmed that more than 1,400 people have died in Israel since the start of the war with militias in Gaza on Saturday, October 7 and that at least 120 were kidnapped and taken to the Strip as hostages.
The figures were released today by the Israeli government’s Press Office, which also reported that 3,500 people have been injured since the start of the clashes.
In addition, the Israeli Army detailed today that among the dead there are at least 286 soldiers, while efforts continue to identify hundreds more bodies.
