POPE CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO HELP PALESTINIANS IN GAZA
Pope Francis on Sunday appealed to the international community to help Palestinians in Gaza as a matter of urgency and to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave ahead of an upcoming international humanitarian conference in Jordan.
The 87-year-old pontiff spoke during his weekly Angelus address at the balcony of the apostolic palace two days before the start of the conference for the people of the Gaza Strip on June 11, in cooperation with the United Nations and Egypt.
Jordan’s royal palace states that the aim of the emergency meeting is to work on a humanitarian response to the conflict that broke out on October 7 between Palestinian Hamas and Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East next week, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, as Washington tries to put pressure on Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire proposal that President Joe Biden laid out last week.
Following meetings with Biden this weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron said the two countries will work harder to prevent a regional escalation from Israel’s war with Hamas and focus on calming tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led Palestinian fighters attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people, and seizing more than 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza has left the territory in ruins, led to widespread starvation, and killed more than 36,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say.
