Pope Francis said that the situation in the Middle East has moved beyond war to terrorism.
The pope’s statement came after he met with two separate delegations, one of Israelis whose family members were held hostage by Hamas, and one of Palestinians whose family members were imprisoned in Israeli prisons.
Speaking in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican earlier on Wednesday, the head of the Roman Catholic Church said both communities were “suffering a lot”, adding that in the Middle East “we have gone beyond wars” and into “terrorism”, according to Avvenire, an Italian-affiliated media with the Catholic Church.
The Pope also called for peace prayer: “Let us pray for the Palestinian people, let us pray for the Israeli people, that peace may come.”
He urged those present not to forget the victims of conflicts in other parts of the world, especially the tortured people of Ukraine.
Pope Francis’ comments come after an agreement reached between the government of Israel and Hamas, according to which 50 Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, according to media reports.
