Pope calls for “silence” at Christmas, describes situation in Gaza as “serious” | News on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Pope Francis has denounced the “extremely serious” humanitarian situation in Gaza while calling for the release of prisoners and a ceasefire in the war-torn coastal enclave.

In his Christmas address “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) at the Vatican on Wednesday, Francis also appealed for peace in Ukraine and Sudan.

“I am thinking of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, especially in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely serious. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and may relief be provided to the people exhausted by hunger and war,” he said.

Since October 7, 2023, the day a Hamas-led operation was launched in Israel that killed 1,139 people and captured about 200, Israel has killed at least 45,361 Palestinians and injured 107,803 in its war on Gaza.

Israel’s alleged “retaliation” has displaced almost all of Gaza’s population and left much of the enclave in ruins.

On the occasion of the 12th Christmas of his pontificate, the 88-year-old called for an end to political, social or military conflicts in Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua, among others.

“I invite each individual and all people of all nations to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the noise of weapons and to overcome divisions,” the pope said.

End of the war in Ukraine

From the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope told thousands of people in the square below: “May the noise of weapons in war-torn Ukraine cease.”

He also called for “gestures of dialogue and encounter to achieve a just and lasting peace.”

Francis was criticized by Ukrainian officials this year when he said the country should have “white flag” courage to negotiate with Russia to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously ruled out participating in peace talks without restoring Ukraine’s pre-war borders. But Zelensky has shown an increasing willingness to negotiate in the weeks since Donald Trump’s re-election as US president.

In early December, Zelensky floated the idea of ​​a diplomatic solution that would include “freezing” current battle lines and stationing foreign troops in Ukraine. Russia has demanded that Ukraine give up its ambitions to join the NATO military alliance.

The head of the Catholic Church also called for silencing the guns in Sudan, which has been ravaged by a brutal civil war for 20 months and millions of people are at risk of famine.

“May the Son of the Most High support the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population in Sudan and to begin new ceasefire negotiations,” he said.

Earlier this week, a United Nations-backed global hunger monitoring group said famine was spreading in Sudan.

The war began in April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between the military and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces spilled into open fighting in the capital Khartoum before spreading to the rest of the country.

According to the United Nations and human rights groups, the conflict was marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings and rape.

The International Criminal Court investigates alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.