Pope Francis urges immediate action to aid war-hit Gazans with 'all means'

ISTANBUL

Pope Francis on Sunday urged the international community to "urgently" take action, using "all means" possible to help people of Gaza affected by war.

"Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need, and no one can impede it," the pope said during his Sunday noon blessing.

He noted that Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of a peace prayer he hosted in the Vatican gardens, attended by both then-Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"This meeting showed that shaking hands is possible, and that to make peace, you need courage much more courage than to make war," he said.

Francis endorsed efforts for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and expressed his desire for both sides to swiftly accept a truce, while acknowledging that the negotiations "are not easy."

He voiced hope for the immediate acceptance of the peace proposals and for the release of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza "for the sake of the Palestinians and Israelis."

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 37,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and nearly 84,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.