Pope Francis called Sunday for humanitarian aid to urgently reach
Palestinians in Gaza and for Israel and Hamas to immediately accept
proposals for a ceasefire and release of hostages.
During his Sunday noon blessing, Francis also thanked Jordan, which this week will host an international humanitarian aid conference for Palestinians.
“I
encourage the international community to act urgently, with all means,
to come to the aid of the people of Gaza, worn out by the war,” he said.
“Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need, and no one
can impede it.”
He recalled that Saturday marked the 10-year
anniversary of a peace prayer he hosted in the Vatican gardens, attended
by then-Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud
Abbas.
“This meeting showed that shaking hands is possible, and
that to make peace, you need courage — much more courage than to make
war,” he said.
Pope Francis threw his support behind ceasefire
proposals and said he hoped the terms would be quickly accepted by both
sides, even though he acknowledged negotiations “are not easy.”
“I
hope that the peace proposals on all fronts that have been presented
and for the release of hostages will be accepted immediately for the
sake of the Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.