Pope meets relatives of Palestinian prisoners, Israelis held in Gaza

Vatican City, Holy See – AFP

Pope Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of those held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, saying both sides “suffer so much”.

At the end of his weekly audience at the Vatican, the 86-year-old pontiff called for prayers for peace, saying of both groups: “They suffer so much and I heard how they both suffer.”

“Wars do this, but here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war, this is terrorism,” he added, without specifying whether he was referring to the October 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas, Israel’s military operation in Gaza launched in response, or both.

Rachel Goldberg, whose 23-year-old son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken captive by Hamas, told a press conference after the meeting that the pope “has a lot of influence”.

“He’s very respected in the Muslim world, in the Jewish world, really irrespective of religious background. So I think that when he speaks the world really listens,” she told journalists in Rome.

The delegation was calling for the Red Cross to be allowed access to the hostages and “we feel the Holy Father has the influence in the world to make those things happen”, she said.

“I felt his love and his support and I believe he will do everything he can to help us,” said Goldberg, who added that her son had been seriously injured during his capture.

She was among 12 families of hostages represented in the meeting with the pope.