On Monday, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and Pope Francis' representative in the Holy Land, expressed his willingness to offer himself in exchange for Israeli children who have been taken hostage by Hamas and are being held in Gaza. This statement was made during a video conference with journalists in Italy.
During the conference, he stated, "I am ready for an exchange, anything if this can lead to freedom, to bring the children home. No problem. There is total willingness on my part." He emphasized the importance of securing the release of the hostages as a first step to prevent further escalation of the situation, saying, "The first thing to do is to try to win the release of the hostages, otherwise there will be no way of stopping (an escalation). We are willing to help, even me personally."
However, he clarified that he and his office had not yet established direct contact with Hamas, the Islamist group responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the death of 1,300 people. Cardinal Pizzaballa acknowledged the difficulty in communicating with Hamas, stating, "You can't talk to Hamas. It is very difficult."
Approximately 200 individuals have been taken hostage, with around a dozen of them being children. Cardinal Pizzaballa oversees Roman Catholic activities in a region that includes Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Cyprus, where an estimated 300,000 Roman Catholics reside.
As diplomatic efforts intensify to provide aid to Gaza while Israel prepares for a ground invasion to combat Hamas, the toll on civilians continues to rise. Authorities in Gaza reported that Israeli strikes have claimed the lives of at least 2,750 people, with 25% of them being children, and nearly 10,000 others have been wounded. An additional 1,000 individuals are still unaccounted for, believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Cardinal Pizzaballa revealed that about 1,000 Christians have sought shelter in Church buildings in northern Gaza after their homes were destroyed in Israeli airstrikes. Many are unsure of where to go due to the dangers involved in moving.
Israel has called on the exhausted residents of Gaza to evacuate to the south, a call that hundreds of thousands have already heeded in the densely populated enclave, home to over 2 million people. However, Hamas, which governs Gaza, has advised the population to disregard Israel's instructions.
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