ANDPope Francis received relatives of some Hamas hostages at the Vatican this Monday, in what represents a second meeting with the families of those kidnapped during the Islamist group's attack on Israel on October 7, the Vatican confirmed.
“The Holy Father Francis received in audience this morning relatives of the hostages held by Hamas,” the Holy See revealed in its daily bulletin about the pontiff's audiences, without giving any details of the meeting.
Francis, who closely follows the war in the Holy Land and this Sunday once again encouraged negotiations, On November 22, it already received relatives of the Israeli hostages, as well as a group of ten Palestinians with relatives who reside in the enclave.
#PrayTogether for peace, especially in the tormented Ukraine and in Palestine and Israel. May the Spirit of the Risen Lord illuminate and sustain those who work to reduce tension and favor gestures that make negotiation possible.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_es) April 7, 2024
“I thank the Pope for responding to the request to receive the families of the hostages to give them strength and support the return of the kidnapped. The pope's support has great moral and practical weight and I am convinced that it will contribute to their return home,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry had announced this Sunday in a statement.
The Pope's support has great moral and practical weight and I am convinced that it will help them return home.
For his part, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who has traveled to Rome, will meet with the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher, to whom he will convey “the importance of increasing pressure to achieve liberation of the 133 people still hostages from Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that there will be no truce agreement in the Gaza Strip if the release of these people is not achieved, just six months after the October 7 attack that triggered the conflict.
The head of Israeli diplomacy is in Rome, accompanied by these families of kidnapped people, and this Sunday he was received by his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, who has asked him to facilitate the arrival of food and medical aid to Gaza.
EFE
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