VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis pleaded on Sunday for an end to the recent Middle-East conflict amid fears it could widen, and called for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into to the Gaza Strip.
“War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!” Francis said after his traditional Angelus prayer in Rome’s Saint Peter’s Square.
“I renew my call for spaces to be opened, for humanitarian aid to continue to arrive and for hostages to be freed,” the 86-year-old pontiff said.
Israel’s retaliatory bombing campaign has killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the health ministry, and reduced swathes of densely populated Gaza to smouldering ruins. Alarm has grown about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has cut off water, food and power.
A first trickle of aid entered the besieged Strip on Saturday, but UN officials said the 20 trucks permitted to cross were not enough given the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation for 2.4 million people.
Two US hostages were released on Friday in mediation with Qatar. — AFP
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