Pope Francis on Wednesday pledged his assistance in securing the return of two Israeli captives and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers being held in the Gaza Strip.
The pontiff held a 45-minute meeting at the Vatican with the families of captives Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed and fallen soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who died in the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The families were joined by Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Schutz and Shuli Davidovich from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
A statement in Italian released by the Foreign Ministry after the meeting said that the pope “promised his help to the families and committed himself to talking with the leaders of the Muslim world” about the issue.
Today the Holy Father expressed his closeness to the families of the four #Israeli [1] boys captured or killed in #Gaza [2].
"It is so difficult to comfort a mother's tears." pic.twitter.com/ybq2Q5219s [3]— Israel in HolySee (@IsraelinHolySee) December 21, 2022 [6]