“There may be, among the missing, my Jewish-Argentinian friends,” Pope Francis told an Israeli journalist by phone. At the same time, he said he was ready to meet the relatives of the hostages and help them find out where their loved ones are.

Addressing the gathered crowd in St. Peter’s Square, a little while ago the pontiff emphasized: “I continue to watch with great pain what is happening in Israel and Palestine and I am on the side, especially of the young and the elderly.”

“I repeat the call for the release of the hostages and I ask that humanitarian law be respected, especially in Gaza, where there is an immediate need for humanitarian corridors and to help the civilian population,” the pope underlined.

“So many people have already died, let no more blood be shed, not in Gaza, not in Ukraine, anywhere. War is always a defeat,” said Francis. He also addressed a special appeal for the protection of all monasteries and places of worship in the region.

Finally, the Argentine pontiff called on all the faithful to pray and fast next Tuesday, for peace in the Holy Land.