Pope Francis this Sunday expressed his wish that the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and the militant factions would be stable and that “the guns would stop” in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
“In recent days, we have again witnessed armed clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, in which innocent people have lost their lives, including women and children,” the pope said at the end of Regina Coeli’s Sunday prayers before thousands of worshipers at the Plaza. St Peter’s in the Vatican.
Quoted by the Efe news agency, Francis expressed his wish that “the ceasefire reached now becomes something stable” and that “the guns stop, because with guns there will never be security and stability.”
“On the contrary, any hope of peace will continue to be destroyed,” he added, before asking “Our Lady to ease the suffering of the martyrs of Ukraine and of all nations injured by wars and violence.”
The ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians will be maintained this Sunday, after several hours of no rocket fire against Israel or bombing in the Gaza Strip.
The region has seen an escalation of violence that began on Tuesday with fierce Israeli attacks on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (JIP), an armed group considered a terrorist by Israel, the European Union and the United States.
Since then, at least 33 people have died in Gaza and two in Israel.
Source: DN
