(SE): As fresh violence erupted in the Holy Land on October 7, when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, firing hundreds of rockets and making armed incursions into Israel, Pope Francis pleaded for a cessation to the violence.
“Please stop the attacks and the weapons,” Pope Francis pleaded on October 8, “and understand that terrorism and war do not lead to any solution, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocent people.”
Speaking after the Angelus, Vatican News reported that the pope is following “with apprehension and sorrow,” the latest news from Israel, “where violence has erupted even more ferociously, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries.”
He expressed his sympathy to the families of victims, and said he is praying for them and for “all those who are experiencing hours of terror and anguish.” The pope invited everyone to pray for peace in Israel and Palestine.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem lamented in a statement, “The too many casualties and tragedies, which both Palestinians and Israeli families have to deal with, will create more hatred and division, and will destroy more and more any perspective of stability.”
The statement called on the international community and religious leaders “to make every effort in helping to de-escalate the situation, restore calm and work to guarantee the fundamental rights of people in the region.”
Media reports say more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip and dozens captured. Some 900 Israeli’s have been reported killed—some shot at point-blank range, and dozens kidnapped, according to some sources.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said the country is at war and defense minister, Yoav Gallant also ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza on October 9, CNN reported.
