After his traditional Angelus prayer in Rome’s Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis pleaded for an end to the Hamas-Israeli conflict.
“War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!” the Pope said, as reported by AFP.
Amid fears that the violence could widen, Pope Francis has also called for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip.
“I renew my call for spaces to be opened, for humanitarian aid to continue to arrive and for hostages to be freed,” he stated.
On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 1,400 lives. In response, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign that, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, has led to the deaths of over 4,300 Palestinians, with a significant number of them being civilians. This campaign has left large sections of densely populated Gaza in ruins.
Concerns have escalated regarding a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as Israel has imposed restrictions on access to water, food, and electricity.
While a limited amount of aid entered the besieged area on Saturday, UN officials expressed that the allowance of only 20 trucks was insufficient, given the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation affecting 2.4 million people.
Two U.S. hostages were released on Friday, but it is distressing that more than 200 individuals who were abducted by the militants remain in captivity.
As of writing, four Filipinos have been killed in the ongoing war, according to the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, several groups of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Israel have returned to the Philippines and received necessary assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
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