Francis is now making an urgent appeal to all Lebanese politicians "so that a president of the republic is elected without delay and the institutions return to their normal function in order to carry out the necessary reforms and guarantee the country's role as an example of peaceful coexistence between the different religions".

In this context, Francis expressed his hope that this "glimmer of peace" could lead to a ceasefire on all other fronts. The release of the Israeli hostages and access to humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population are particularly close to his heart.

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Media commentators, aid agencies and the UN itself have made it plain that Israel's actions go way beyond anything that can rightly claim to be self-defence, and include violations of international and humanitarian law.

Israel's present government has a wider agenda.

It is also widely acknowledged that the only reason why Israel can continue its pursuit of that agenda is because the USA continues to supply it with the means of doing so - even as it speaks of the need for the war to stop.

Even allowing for Mr Biden's own domestic reasons for wanting an end to the war, it is nevertheless hard to avoid the impression that USA's much publicised pursuit of cease-fire talks is not much more than an attempt to pre-empt ‘day-after' charges of complicity in war crimes, because the reality is that the USA could stop the war tomorrow if it was really serious about doing so.

I realise that NZ is in a difficult position because of its dependence on USA for security and trade.

But when the ‘day after' does come, hopefully history will show that we at least did what we could within our limits.

For too long - decades - western nations have looked the other way while Israel continued to encroach on Palestinian lands and destroy Palestinians' livelihoods and lives.

In that way we helped to breed Hamas and Hezbollah. The present problem did not begin on Oct 7th 2023.

I understand there is an established protocol that entitles/requires you as Minister to call any Ambassador to account for unsatisfactory conduct by that Ambassador's country.

If that is correct, has the United States' continuing support for Israel's actions which responsible judicial bodies have condemned met the requirement for activating that protocol?

Does not the USA's ambassador owe it to allies like NZ, and to fair-minded Jewish people living in this country, to explain the USA's double-speak - i.e. professing its desire for a cease-fire while enabling Israel to continue what it is doing?

The USA's contempt for the role of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court is equally despicable, and all the more because of the impotence of the UN itself.

Perhaps the ambassador could even explain how Mr Biden's self-confessed position as a Zionist is consistent with his talk of a two-State solution, given that Zionism does not allow for a two-State solution.

I'm sure there would be plenty to talk about!

With good wishes,

Peter Cullinane, Bishop Emeritus, Catholic Diocese of Palmerston North

The attacks aim to eliminate the threat of Hezbollah strikes on northern Israel.

Bernard Toutounji, National Director of Aid for the Church in Need (ACN) in Australia and New Zealand, says the Church is struggling to support the million people who have fled their homes in southern Lebanon.

Beirut, Mount Lebanon and Lebanon's northern regions in particular are bearing the brunt of the internally displaced refugees.

The pontifical charity has announced an international emergency campaign to raise at least 1 million Euros (about $1,8 million NZD), Toutounji says. It will help the Catholic Church in Lebanon cope with the tremendous challenges Christians are suffering.

What the Church is doing to help

The Catholic Church has already sprung into action in Lebanon's northern regions, as it fulfils its Biblical mandate to help people in need. It hopwa donations will help relieve the desperate situation.

The Church has opened facilities such as parish halls and retreat houses to all those fleeing the most dangerous areas, Toutounji says.

Everyone is welcome, regardless of religious or ethnic affiliation.

ACN has already reached out to the seven dioceses and five religious congregations most directly involved in relief efforts.

Toutounji says the money ACN raises will be used to address a variety of needs, including food, sanitary products, mattresses and covers, medication and other essentials.

Many of the Christians in southern Lebanon are farmers. The attacks have prevented them from harvesting their olive and tobacco crops, leaving them without any income.

Children's education has been directly affected, with Catholic schools needing financial help Toutounji says. He explains that while most Catholic schools have opened for online classes, many parents in war-affected regions are unlikely to find work and they will struggle to pay tuition fees.

Critical situation

Although the crisis is affecting the whole country, the worst areas are in the border regions between Israel and Lebanon. Christians are a predominant group in this area.

ACN says most families are being separated.

Many mothers and children are sheltering in Church facilities or with relatives and, despite exposing themselves to danger, fathers often stay in their family homes to protect their property from being stolen.

"Lebanon has been going from crisis to crisis over the past decades, suffering from political instability, an influx of refugees from regional wars, an economic meltdown, the Beirut Port explosion which levelled large parts of the city, and now these attacks from Israel" ACN says.

"Despite all this, the Church has continued to serve the people, providing material and spiritual support at every turn. ACN has stood by our project partners in Lebanon, and we will not abandon them now as they face another hour of need.

"We are confident that our friends and benefactors will understand the urgency of supporting the Church in Lebanon to carry out God's work."

Source

• Aid to the Church in Need

Speaking during a press briefing before the first anniversary of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel, Khairallah stressed that private agendas have overshadowed fundamental values such as human dignity and freedom.

Khairallah voiced frustration at the world's silence in the face of ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.

He remarked, "The world is quiet, it doesn't say anything… It even gives the green light for this violence because there are too many interests at the political and economic level".

These private interests "have nothing to do with our Christian values" he added.

Two-state solution

Khairallah also spoke of the potential role Pope Francis and Vatican diplomacy could play in fostering peace. He referenced Lebanon's historical significance as a model of religious coexistence.

Since 1948, the Holy See has consistently backed a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"This resolution has always been rejected up until today by the State of Israel, by Israeli politicians" Khairallah said. He insisted that many Israeli citizens want peace and demonstrate for peace. However, "interests have the upper hand".

The bishop also criticised Western nations, particularly the US, for not supporting those suffering in the Middle East.

"I think that this is a message from the synod that we are participating in this year: that the people who are oppressed should have the possibility, the right to decide concerning their future and their destiny" he said.

Peace through forgiveness

Drawing from personal experience, Khairallah highlighted the importance of forgiveness as a path to peace. He recounted how, at the age of five, his parents were killed in their home.

His aunt, a nun, taught him and his siblings to forgive their parents' killers and to "pray for those who killed [their parents] and to seek to forgive throughout your lives".

Khairallah believes that true peace can come only when individuals across all cultures and confessions work together, rather than being driven by political and economic agenda.

He acknowledged the difficulty of forgiveness but insisted it is not impossible, saying "We are capable of forgiving".

Khairallah called on all parties to set aside hatred, vengeance and war, and urged the Church to lead by example, fostering dialogue and mutual respect.

Sources

Crux Now

CathNews New Zealand

Once again, it seems that the negotiations, which resumed August 21 in Cairo, are likely to fail.

During the Democratic convention, U.S. President Joe Biden stated August 20 that Hamas was "backtracking" on the negotiations for a potential agreement between Israel and the Palestinian movement.

Thousands of deaths changing the dynamics

Hamas rejected the American statement, labeling it as a "green light" for Israel to continue the war.

The Palestinian movement argued that the latest proposals differ significantly from the original plan proposed by the American president, which they claim has now "conceded to new Israeli demands."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is demanding a permanent Israeli military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer border between Gaza and Egypt, as well as the Netzarim Corridor, an Israeli-controlled axis that bisects the Gaza Strip.

However, just two days after the discussions began in Doha August 17, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt had assured that an agreement was "close" to being signed.

But the number of victims in the Gaza Strip—over 40,200 dead, according to the Islamic movement—has changed the situation.

"Hamas cannot sign a discounted agreement.

"It knows full well that, from the perspective of the Palestinian population, particularly in the Gaza Strip, there will be a sense of having suffered for ten months, lost thousands of people, only to settle for an agreement that doesn't even meet the primary demands of its population," said Thomas Vescovi, an independent researcher and specialist on Israel and Palestine.

On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a similar dilemma with the victims of October 7 and the hostages.

"The final decision comes from the Gaza Strip"

The centralisation of Hamas's power in Gaza over the past few months, which intensified after the July 31 assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the main interlocutor and official leader of the Palestinian movement, further diminished the hope for an agreement.

The late Haniyeh was replaced by Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's leader in Gaza, who is entrenched in tunnels and is considered the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks.

"For now, the final decision comes from the Gaza Strip, and therefore inevitably from Yahya Sinwar and other leaders present there," Vescovi explained.

"We can see that, after ten months of war, Hamas is still able to rebuild its forces in Gaza, recruit, and arm itself, so from that point, I don't see any other political force capable of competing with this leadership, at least in Gaza."

During negotiation sessions, the Israeli delegation interacted with a Hamas representative team, which, in reality, holds very little power. Khalil Al-Hayya, the unofficial foreign affairs minister based in Qatar, generally represents the team.

According to Vescovi, "As long as there is no ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, we cannot imagine a reduction in tensions."

• First published in La Croix International
• Kilian Bigogne is a journalist at La Croix

Cardinal Pietro Parolin's Aug. 12 conversation with President Masoud Pezeshkian was well-timed.

Iran is widely believed to be preparing to attack Israel following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

The Holy See press office said that the Vatican Secretary of State congratulated Pezeshkian on assuming office, after his victory in a July election triggered by his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash.

Parolin "expressed the Holy See's serious concern regarding current events in the Middle East, reiterating the need to avoid by any means the spread of the very grave ongoing conflict, instead favoring dialogue, negotiation, and peace," the press office said.

Is it surprising that Pezeshkian took Parolin's call as Iran reportedly gears up for a strike on Israel? How far do Holy See-Iran relations go back?

And why does the Vatican invest in relations with a country that the U.S. cut ties with in 1980 and categorizes as a state sponsor of terrorism?

The Pillar takes a look.

Was the call surprising?

When world leaders are on the warpath, they are typically reluctant to take phone calls from the Vatican.

While they may appreciate Holy See diplomacy in abstract terms, they are usually unwilling to listen directly to the Vatican's appeals for restraint and negotiation.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for example, President Vladimir Putin eluded Pope Francis' attempts at a direct conversation.

Why was Pezeshkian willing to pick up the phone to Parolin? Was it because he's new to the top office? Or was he expecting a quick congratulatory call with little substance?

These hypotheses are unlikely, given that Pezeshkian has been in politics for more than a quarter-century. More likely is that Iran's new president thought the call would be beneficial.

How so? An account of the conversation on the Iranian president's website offers clues.

The readout says:

"Emphasising the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in avoiding war and promoting world peace and security, the president considered and clarified that the actions of the Zionist regime in killing women and children, as well as the criminal act of this regime in the assassination of the guest of our country, are against all humanitarian and legal principles."

"According to all international standards and regulations, the right to defend and respond to the aggressor is reserved for the aggressed country."

Pezeshkian seems to have seen the phone call as a chance to present Iran as a country committed to international law, yet constrained to defend itself against external aggression.

The statement also appeared to suggest that Iran and the Holy See's positions on Gaza were compatible, if not exactly the same.

Cardinal Parolin, it said, noted that the Vatican wished to see "an immediate end to the killing of civilians in Gaza and the immediate establishment of a ceasefire."

The Iranian president, for his part, "considered the genocide and the killing of oppressed women and children in Gaza, the cowardly assassinations in the countries of the region, and the attack on hospitals and schools where refugees are housed, as part of the criminal actions of the Zionist regime."

Pezeshkian was no doubt aware that news of his conversation with Parolin would likely reach a global audience.

So the president probably concluded that it was in his overall interest to engage directly with the Vatican, seizing the opportunity to portray Iran as an unjustly injured party and any retaliatory action as self-defense.

• First published by RNS
• Luke Coppen is The Pillar's Senior Correspondent.

When we consider that our Lord Jesus, our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph, the twelve apostles, and the very first disciples were practicing religious Jews.

We also need to consider that the Christian New Testament is firmly rooted in the Jewish Scriptures of the Old Testament.

Having considered, how can we not have but the highest respect for Judaism.

But having the necessary deep respect for Judaism does not therefore mean that Christians must also have respect for the unjust policies of the state of Israel toward Palestinians.

Opposing Israeli government injustice is not antisemitic. On the contrary, it calls Israel to a high moral standard in the spirit of the great Jewish prophets.

Human rights

Sadly, decades of human rights violations have occurred.

Violations like denying adequate supplies of water, blocking access to family farms and olive groves, as well as building Israeli settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

These are among the injustices Palestinians have long suffered in the Occupied Territories, especially in Gaza which is known as the world's largest outdoor prison.

The Oct. 7, 2023, brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas upon Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israeli children, women and men, was not right either.

Combined with the abduction of more than 200 Israeli hostages it is unconscionable and deserving of our condemnation.

But Israel's brutal response, resulting in over 30,000 deaths of mostly innocent unarmed civilian Palestinians in Gaza is also an act of terrorism.

It is an even worse terrorism than that suffered by Israel.

More 11,500 Palestinian children have been killed from Israeli bombs and missiles.

These were mostly supplied by the U.S. and several other nations resulting in large profits for numerous arms manufacturers.

Israel's determination to kill every single member of Hamas has resulted in the collective punishment of all Gazan Palestinians.

Hospitals, schools, neighbourhoods, and churches have not been spared from Israel's wholesale non-stop bombing.

Most Palestinians in Gaza have little or no access to clean water and sanitation, food, medicine and fuel due to Israel's blockade. United Nations experts have accused Israel of "intentionally starving" Palestinians in Gaza.

Genocide

Collective punishment is both gravely immoral, and an act against international law.

The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to ensure that all vital supplies are to immediately be made available to every needy Gazan. And that all efforts to end hostilities are to be made.

However, Israel is ignoring international law and moral law.

Having suffered so terribly from the Holocaust, one would think that committing large scale murder of innocent children, women and men would be unthinkable for Israel.

Yet, almost unbelievably, Israel is committing genocide - yes, genocide - upon the innocents.

Furthermore, Israel is not even following the Mosaic principle of reciprocal justice, that is, measure for measure which states "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Exodus 21:23-27).

Instead, Israel has inflicted far more death and destruction upon mostly innocent Palestinians in Gaza, than it suffered from the deadly attacks of Hamas.

And of course, for Christians we must take to heart, and put into action, the most relevant words of the Jewish Jesus, the Christ, the Lord:

"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no [violent] resistance to one who is evil.

When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. …

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you".

Pray for Peace

Therefore, let us tirelessly pray for peace in Gaza, and everywhere.

And let us unite with Pope Francis in his urgent call: "Stop the bombs and missiles now!"

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist.

On Saturday, the 87-year-old pope delegated the reading of a speech at a ceremony to an aide, and on Wednesday, he made a brief trip to a Rome hospital after he missed reading at his weekly audience, saying he had "a bit of cold".

"Each day I carry in my heart with pain the suffering of the populations in Palestine and Israel due to the ongoing hostilities, thousands of dead, injured, displaced," Francis said, speaking by himself with a clear voice at the Angelus prayer in Rome.

Addressing believers in St Peter's Square, Francis stressed the consequences of the conflict on children and asked for the release of all the hostages taken in Hamas' Oct 7 raid.

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So said Francesca Albanese to a Catholic audience in Wellington recently.

Albanese is the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

But the Israel-Palestine issue has a simple solution, she says.

Israel needs to end its military occupation of the West Bank and its blockade of Gaza.

An international peacekeeping force then needs to move in to protect civilians for as long as it takes to reach a permanent solution.

Albanese said this "two-state solution" was where the international consensus lay, but that could not happen until Israel ended its occupation of the Palestinian territories it seized in the 1967 war with its neighbours.

Governments around the world needed to stop tip-toeing about the issue - they need to pressure Israel to withdraw.

"It's very simple. The solution cannot start without ending the military occupation, removing the soldiers and tanks.

"There should be an international force there to ensure stability and peace for the Palestinians and protection of the Israeli settlers [in the West Bank] until they withdraw and give back the land they have stolen.

"We need to go to a place where these two peoples live in peace and, when it happens, it will be the most beautiful place in the world. That is my hope."

Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer, was appointed the Special Rapporteur in May last year. She has been making a brief visit to New Zealand.

The Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington invited her to speak about the bloody war between Israel and Hamas.

It started on 7 October when Hamas, the group which controls Gaza, attacked Israeli civilians on a public holiday, killing 1200 and taking more than 200 hostages.

The Israeli response of declaring war on Hamas has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with thousands killed and more than a million people displaced.

"The seventh of October has been a ground zero moment" Albanese said. "The status quo between Israel and Palestine is gone. Nothing will ever be the same."

Israel had the right to self-defence but it was illegal to wage war against a civilian population.

"It is an inferno on Earth. I don't know anyone who would identify with the massacre Hamas did, but Palestinian civilians should not have to atone for what Hamas did."

The war was apocalyptic she said. Twelve thousand people had died and almost 30,000 injured.

Some 1.6 million people had been displaced by Israel, emptying 60 per cent of Gaza's small area. The UN had lost a record 100 staff. Forty-five journalists had been killed.

Gaza had been bombed for 46 days, with entire residential areas flattened. There was no water, no food. People were recharging their phones from bicycle-wheel generators.

"An ethnic cleansing will happen if Israel is not stopped" she said. "You can understand my shock when I hear Western leaders struggle to say the one word that can stop all this - ceasefire."

Mons. Gerard Burns of the Archdiocese Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission said Albanese's particular knowledge of the issues was helpful for local Catholics' understanding, preaching and action.

"As members of Christian Churches we have a special interest in what happens in the lands Jesus walked" he said.

"The conflict in those lands over the last 100 years, but especially since 1948, is deeply painful for all involved. It has also been a special concern of the UN, being so closely connected to the first steps of that organisation.

"The land is important to three great faiths which is why the UN, in 1947, proposed a special status for Jerusalem and Bethlehem."

Footnote: The Catholic Church and bishops of Aotearoa NZ have been concerned about events in the Holy Land. These links are to recent commentaries and articles.

• Supplied

The future for Palestinians and Israelis is being erased each passing day. Before it is too late, the United States and Congress should side with peace, not more war, in the Middle East.

Hamas' horrific attacks that killed more than 1,400 Israelis and their abduction of more than 200 civilians should be strongly condemned.

The U.S. and international community should work fervently to hold those responsible accountable while securing the release of hostages. I stand for the safety and dignity of all Israelis.

I also stand for the safety and dignity of all Palestinians.

The indiscriminate, inhumane Israeli response that has already claimed as many as 8,000 lives in Gaza, including many children, must also be clearly condemned.

The U.S. and international community should insist international law be respected with all civilians protected.

As a person of faith, I mourn the tragic loss of all lives and pray for those who have lost loved ones in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

I also mourn the response of my government, which seems unable to value the human rights and lives of Palestinians.

In stark contrast to the Pope's message, President Biden has made clear which "team" the U.S. is on by asking Congress for billions more in weapons for Israel.

This not only makes the U.S. complicit in unfolding war crimes; it also fuels anti-American sentiment, undermining national and global security.

Having lived through the 9/11 attacks, I understand the fear and outrage that terrorism inflicts on a community.

But two decades of endless war, military quagmires, trillions of dollars spent and more than 432,000 civilians killed from our global war on terror should have taught us that war is not the answer.

Instead of pouring more weapons into the conflict with one hand while supporting humanitarian aid with the other, President Biden and Congress should be fervently working to help halt the killing while addressing the root causes, so the cycle of war and violence does not repeat itself.

Some media coverage is not helping. My middle-schooler, after a discussion about cable news with classmates, believed once an attack is labeled "terrorism," there are no limits to the violence used in response. This is not the way international law works.

International humanitarian law does not allow the indiscriminate bombing of civilians.

Hospitals, churches, schools and residential neighborhoods are not legitimate military targets, especially when they are providing refuge for thousands fleeing for their lives.

Killing and abducting civilians can never be tolerated. But waging war against an entire population in response only deepens suffering, inviting more attacks.

My Quaker faith calls me to reject all forms of violence and to continually work to prevent war, break cycles of violence and rebuild relationships.

But people of all faiths — or those not religious at all — can see the horrors of this war and what may come next.

More than 70 Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other organisations, including my own, recently signed this interfaith and civil society letter calling on Congress and the president to press for an immediate ceasefire and provide some measure of peace, security and humanitarian assistance to the civilians of both Israel and Gaza.

We agree all violence against civilians by Hamas and the Israeli military is to be condemned and must stop at once. A ceasefire should be declared, respected and enforced on both sides.

Protecting civilians, securing the release of all hostages and ensuring humanitarian aid can flow freely requires a halt to the fighting.

And rather than sending billions more in weapons, the president and Congress should work to de-escalate the conflict and insist Hamas and Israel fully respect international humanitarian law.

I cannot begin to understand the trauma and suffering people are now experiencing in Gaza and Israel, but I can choose to stand on the side of peace and of ending the killing, the side where human dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians still resides together.

• Bridget Moix is general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation and its associated Quaker hospitality center, Friends Place on Capitol Hill. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.
• First published in Religion News Service. Republished with permission.

Not here, in this dusty field strewn with dead people wrapped in blankets and zipped up in body bags. And not now, as Israeli airstrikes crashed around him for the third week, erasing more of his neighbourhood and sundering hundreds of families and friendships.

Yet on this October week in Gaza's central town of Zawaideh, the 22-year-old Palestinian photojournalist buried 32 members of his family who were killed in Israeli air raids last Sunday.

Dirawi's aunts, uncles and cousins from Gaza City had heeded Israeli military evacuation orders and taken refuge in his home farther south.

Days later, Dirawi was unloading their bodies from the back of a truck, digging a narrow trench partitioned with cinder blocks and reciting abbreviated funeral prayers before nightfall, when Israeli warplanes screeched, and everyone ran indoors.

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Tuesday's rocket strike left as many as 500 people dead and a great many others injured.

The hospital was a place of refuge for Palestinians following evacuation orders from Israel.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, expressed his profound sorrow at the incident.

"This is an appalling and devastating loss of innocent lives" said Welby, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion.

Welby spoke out after first reports emerged that the hospital had been hit by an Israeli rocket. Palestinian officials had made that claim.

The Israeli military has denied the strike was theirs. They accused a Palestinian militant group of launching a rocket that malfunctioned then hit the hospital.

Neither report has been verified.

The Anglican hospital tragedy occurred after 10 days of intense conflict between Israel and Hamas. The latest conflict began with an assault on Jewish settlements by Hamas militants on 7 October.

Welby had previously called on the Israelis to reverse their demand for evacuating hospitals in Gaza.

"The seriously ill and injured patients at the Anglican-run Ahli Hospital — and other healthcare facilities in northern Gaza — cannot be safely evacuated," he warned in a statement on Sunday.

"They are running low on medical supplies. They are facing catastrophe.

"I appeal for the evacuation order on hospitals in northern Gaza to be reversed — and for health facilities, health workers, patients and civilians to be protected," Welby said.

Humanitarian corridors called for

On Sunday Pope Francis called for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza, and again appealed for the release of hostages held by the militant Islamist group Hamas.

"I forcefully ask that children, the sick, the elderly and women, and all civilians do not become the victims of the conflict," he said at his weekly address to thousands of people in St Peter's Square.

"May humanitarian rights be respected, above all in Gaza, where it is urgent and necessary to guarantee humanitarian corridors to help the entire population," he said.

Sources

Religion News Service

Reuters

CathNews New Zealand

The UN reports that Gaza's entire population is being deprived of electricity, water, fuel supplies, food, and medicine.

Ongoing bombardments and shelling have destroyed homes, hospitals and essential water and sanitation infrastructure, with growing fears that Gaza will soon run out of drinkable water. Hospitals are packed with injured people and running desperately low on fuel and basic supplies.

An estimated 1 million people have been displaced in Gaza with immediate food, shelter, health, and psychosocial needs. Even before these attacks, 8 out of 10 people relied on international aid.

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"The release of Israeli hostages and the protection of innocent lives in Gaza are at the heart of the problem created by Hamas' attack and the response of the Israeli army," said Parolin.

"They are at the centre of all of our concerns: the pope and the entire international community. The Holy See is ready for any necessary mediation, as always," he said.

Parolin affirmed Israel's right to self-defence while stressing the importance of a "proportionate" response.

During a visit to the Israeli embassy in Rome, Parolin expressed his "deep sentiments of pain and solidarity" regarding the Hamas attack against Israel.

The death toll in Israel has surged to 1,300, with over 3,000 injuries.

Retaliatory airstrikes from Israel have resulted in 1,417 Palestinian casualties and more than 6,250 wounded in Gaza.

Prayers for victims' families

Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims' families and called for the release of all hostages. He also stressed the right to self-defence while expressing concern for the suffering faced by Palestinians in Gaza.

Francis urged restraint, saying "Terrorism and extremism do not help to reach a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians but fuel hatred, violence, and revenge, causing suffering to both sides."

Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Raphael Schutz, welcomed the Pope's statement but rejected calls for de-escalation at this time, drawing a parallel between Hamas and ISIS.

Concerns for hostages

Concerns continue to grow about the fate of 150 hostages, including women, children and the elderly, held by Hamas.

Cardinal Parolin condemned the taking of hostages and expressed the Holy See's willingness to assist in negotiating their release.

However, Parolin highlighted the situation's complexity which includes security, Israeli settlements and the status of Jerusalem.

"A solution can be found in direct dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis, encouraged and supported by the international community, even though it will be more difficult now," the cardinal said.

The small Catholic community in Gaza, composed of around 150 families, "is suffering immensely," Parolin said.

"Everything is at a standstill, paralysed as if gripped by fear and anger" Parolin said, saying "Let us pray for the Israelis; let us pray for the Palestinians; let us pray for Christians, Jews and Muslims: For the peace of Jerusalem, pray."

Sources

Reuters

Crux

CathNews New Zealand

The conference was organised after the opening in 2020 of Vatican archives of the pontificate of Pius XII, which led to the discovery of a letter showing that he knew details about the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews in the Holocaust as early as 1942.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, changed his prepared opening comments to mention the "terrible and despicable attack" against "Israeli brothers and sisters".

Parolin said: "Unfortunately, violence, terrorism, barbarism and extremism undermine the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis."

Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, said: "My thoughts are more there than here."

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Br Peter Bray FSC, Vice Chancellor of Bethlehem University, says the Hamas attack is a "watershed moment that could have a long-term impact on life here in the Holy Land".

While he disapproves of violence as a response, he can understand why Palestinians have reacted the way they did at the weekend.

He cites the Israeli military's and the settlers' ongoing and increasing violent attacks on Palestinians over recent months and provocative moves by settlers around Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the Jewish feast.

"With the extreme rightwing government in Israel and the stated priority of the expansion of settlements in the West Bank the pressure on Palestinians has been enormous," he says.

More Palestinians have been killed by the military and settlers this year than any year since 2006, says Bray.

Forgotten people

Bray says there's been "growing frustration among Palestinians that the international community has forgotten about them and let Israel do whatever it wants".

He mentions Israel's steady expansion of settlements, which are forcing Palestinians off their land or out of their houses.

The continued pressure on Palestinians with home demolition has left them very aware that they are being driven off their land, Bray notes.

He also says many settlers make it "very obvious" that they want to take the whole land and do not want Palestinians around.

"The Palestinian Authority has not been able in any way to contain what Israel has been doing, so the Palestinian frustration has boiled over through Hamas, who claim to be defending what remains of the Palestinian land and its people," Bray explains.

He says the Israeli military is now embarrassed because Hamas fighters were able to take over several military bases and settlements near Gaza and capture soldiers and civilians as hostages.

Now there are real fears the Israeli military will strike back with significant violence in retaliation, he says.

"They began to do that today and who knows where that might lead. I think this is a watershed moment that could have long-term impact on life here in the Holy Land."

Based on the available information, Bray says another university executive council meeting will decide what to do for the rest of this week.

"We are unsure what is going to unfold today and tomorrow," he says.

After an emergency council meeting, the university decided to teach online.

"It is impossible to get in or out of Bethlehem at present, so our students from Jerusalem- about 40 per cent of our student population - are not able to get here.

"However the campus will be open and staff members from Bethlehem will be expected to be in their offices tomorrow."

While all his students and staff are alright so far, Bray is asking for prayers.

Source

• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference

The incursion is now entering its second day, resulting in the loss of at least 10 Palestinian lives.

"We express deep concern for the safety of our staff in the Jenin Governorate and have, therefore, suspended many of the activities in the area. We call on our friends and partners to pray for peace and safety for our team and the people in Jenin and the rest of the West Bank, with the hope that the situation will soon deescalate without further harm to civilians," Caritas Jerusalem said in a statement.

The size of Israel's attack has sparked worry from UN agencies, which have also noted that first responders cannot reach those gravely injured.

"We are alarmed at the scale of air and ground operations that are taking place in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and airstrikes hitting a densely populated refugee camp," Vanessa Huguenin, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, told media persons.

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