The Vatican is working to organize a meeting between Pope Francis and the families of the hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said this Friday.
“We are considering [um encontro com os familiares dos reféns]. We saw that they were here and they were received by the Italian authorities,” Parolin said on the sidelines of an event at Rome City Hall.
“We haven’t made a decision yet, I think it will be decided at the end of today. [sexta-feira]”he added.
The Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, received on Wednesday at the Quirinal Palace in Rome a delegation of relatives of the hostages taken after the attack by the Islamist group against Israel on October 7.
Parolin also said he hoped there would be no escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas, adding that this situation was “closely linked to the release of the hostages.”
“If we can resolve the issue of hostage release, a ground invasion would be less urgent,” he added.
This Friday, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that the number of people believed to be in the hands of Hamas in the Gaza Strip had been revised to 229.
On Thursday, Israeli authorities said 224 people remained held hostage by Hamas.
Source: TSF
