Jerusalem Catholic Patriarch Offers to be Exchanged for Gaza Hostages; Christians Hiding
by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent
VATICAN CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The envoy of Pope Francis for the Holy Land told Hamas militants on Monday that he is ready to be exchanged for the release of Israeli children held as hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, spoke in response to a question at a video call with journalists in Italy.” I am ready for an exchange, anything, if this can lead to freedom, to bring the children home, no problem. There is a total willingness on my part,” he said.
Without releasing hostages, “there will be no way of stopping [an escalation], “he stressed. “We are willing to help, even me personally,” he said.
There may be as many as 200 hostages being held, mainly from Israel, according to new estimates on Monday.
Pizzaballa oversees Roman Catholic activities in Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as Jordan and Cyprus, a region home to an estimated 300,000 Roman Catholics.
He said about 1,000 Christians were sheltering in Church buildings in northern Gaza after their homes were allegedly destroyed in Israeli strikes. “They don’t know where to go because moving is dangerous,” he added about the Christian believers who form a tiny minority among the Muslim population.
Israel has urged Gazans to evacuate to the south ahead of its anticipated massive ground offensive, which hundreds of thousands have already done in the enclave of 2.3 million people.
VATICAN MEDIATION?
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militants running Gaza, told people to ignore Israel’s message. Worthy News saw footage apparently showing Hamas fighters setting up blockades to prevent people from leaving.
In separate remarks, Pizzaballa stressed that the Vatican is ready to mediate between the warring factions. “The Holy See is ready for any necessary mediation, as always,” and seeks to engage with institutions “whose channels are already open,” he explained.
However, any mediation to end the conflict, Parolin said, “must take into account a series of elements that make the issue very complex and articulated,” including issues related to security, Israeli settlements, and the status of Jerusalem.
Parolin earlier visited Israel’s embassy to the Vatican on Friday to express “his deep sentiments of pain and solidarity on the background of the terrible attack against Israel,” said Israeli Ambassador Raphael Schutz on social media.
Pizzaballa said that 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.”
He stressed, however, that he and his office had not yet had any direct contact with Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7 and carried out the worst atrocities on record against Jews since the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah.
“You can’t talk to Hamas. It is very difficult,” he said. “The terrorist attack carried out by Hamas and other militia against thousands of Israelis who were about to celebrate the day of Simchat Torah, concluding the week of the Sukkot festival, is inhuman.”
POPE CRITICIZED
He spoke as tensions emerged between Israel and the Vatican over remarks made by Pope Francis Sunday.
Israel protested Francis’ call for respect for “humanitarian law, especially in Gaza,” as Israel prepares to invade the enclave.
“It is inconceivable that an announcement essentially expressing concern for the residents of Gaza is issued at the same time Israel is burying 1,300 murdered citizens,” Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen said in a statement late Sunday evening.
More than 1,400 people, including babies and toddlers, according to Monday data, were killed in Israel since Hamas attacked civilians and soldiers.
Nearly 2,700 people have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza, with an estimated 1,000 missing under rubble, Palestinian authorities say.
Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately hiding and placing weapons among civilians to raise the death toll.
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