عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Pope Pledges to Release Israeli Captives Held by Hamas

Pope Francis meets with relatives of the Israelis being held by Hamas (Israeli Foreign Ministry)
Pope Francis meets with relatives of the Israelis being held by Hamas (Israeli Foreign Ministry)
TT
20
TT

Pope Pledges to Release Israeli Captives Held by Hamas

Pope Francis meets with relatives of the Israelis being held by Hamas (Israeli Foreign Ministry)
Pope Francis meets with relatives of the Israelis being held by Hamas (Israeli Foreign Ministry)

Pope Francis met in Rome on Wednesday with the families of Israelis being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting was held at the initiative of the Israeli Embassy in Rome.

Pope Francis vowed before the Israeli delegation to work toward bringing home two Israeli civilians and two soldiers.

The meeting lasted 45 minutes and was attended by the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican, Raphael Schutz, the head of the Diaspora and Religious Affairs section at the Foreign Ministry, Shuli Davidovich, and the Israeli ambassador to Rome, Alon Bar.

The relatives asked for the help of the Pope and the Catholic Church to recover the bodies of the two soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and release two Israeli citizens, Avraham Mengistu and Hashem al-Sayid.

The Pope expressed his sympathy for the suffering of mothers and families. He pledged to work with governments and religious leaders to help bring their children back.

Francis offered prayers for the swift and safe return of the living captives to their families.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense organized the visit to Rome as part of an international campaign to raise global attention to the issue after the families accused the Israeli government and army leadership of "doing nothing to release the children."

Goldin's father made harsh accusations, blaming the government for neglecting the fate of their loved ones for eight years. He warned that such behavior would make every mother hesitate to send her son to military service because there are no guarantees that the leadership would protect them.

Israeli sources said the meeting discussed last week's claims by Hamas leader in Gaza Yehya Sinwar that Israel was thwarting all efforts to reach a prisoner exchange deal.

He warned Tel Aviv had a limited time to complete the deal, or there won't be any in the future.

The meeting also addressed Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid, who died in Israeli prison due to medical negligence. Palestinians warn that dozens of other prisoners in detention could face a similar fate.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.