‘BOTH SIDES ARE SUFFERING’

Pope Francis Meets With Families of Israeli Hostages and Palestinians in Gaza

He said the fighting had gone beyond a war and had become “terrorism.”

On Wednesday, Pope Francis met separately with the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians with relatives in Gaza at the Vatican, declaring that the war was “terrorism.” He spoke at St. Peter’s Square after the conversations, saying that he listened to how “both sides are suffering” in the region, and prayed that they would “resolve problems and not go ahead with passions that are killing everyone in the end.” The Associated Press reported that during his address, people were holding Palestinian flags and posters showing dead bodies with the word “genocide.” Francis didn’t mention the Israeli-Hamas hostage deal in his speech but has remained neutral in the conflict by publicly calling for the war to end. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, and the country’s retaliation against Gaza has killed over 11,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.