Christmas/ Pope Francis condemns the "desperate humanitarian situation" in Gaza

2023-12-25 13:48:23, Kosova & Bota CNA

Christmas/ Pope Francis condemns the "desperate humanitarian

Pope Francis, during his annual Christmas address to thousands of faithful gathered at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, on December 25, 2023.

Pope Francis deplored the "desperate humanitarian situation" for Palestinians in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages in his December 25 Christmas message.

"My heart goes out to the victims of the heinous attack on October 7 and I repeat my urgent appeal for the release of those still being held hostage," the 86-year-old said in his annual Christmas message.

"I call for an end to the military operations with their terrible harvest of innocent civilian casualties and I call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid," he told the thousands of worshipers gathered in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

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."

Nearly three months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas - the group declared a terrorist organization by the US and the EU - the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "a catastrophe" according to the United Nations, with 85 percent of the population displaced. .

The war began on October 7 when Hamas gunmen broke through the militarized Gaza border and killed about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP report based on Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also kidnapped about 250 people, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a bombing and ground invasion of Gaza, where 20,424 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest count from the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry.

Israel controls access to Gaza and some aid has entered through Egypt. Last week, Israel approved sending aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, but the amount is insufficient to meet needs in the devastated territory.

The head of Catholics in his speech also spoke about the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, saying that he prayed "that political and social stability will soon be achieved".

Pope Francis also said he seeks "peace for Ukraine", which is celebrating Christmas on December 25 for the first time, ignoring the traditional Orthodox date of January 7 celebrated in Russia.

"Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to its suffering people, so that with the support of each one of us, they can feel the concrete reality of God's love," he said.

The Pope also called for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been locked in a territorial conflict for decades, while also mentioning "conflicts that concern the Sahel region, the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan South".

He said he hoped tensions on the Korean peninsula would be resolved "by undertaking processes of dialogue and reconciliation capable of creating conditions for lasting peace."

The Argentine Pope reserved his final words for the American continent, calling on "people of good will" to "invent appropriate ways to resolve social and political conflicts, to fight forms of poverty that violate dignity of people, to reduce inequality and address the disturbing phenomenon of migration"./ REL