Pope meets with Israeli hostages freed from Gaza

By Salvatore Cernuzio

After enduring months in captivity in Gaza, a group of Israeli hostages, abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were received by Pope Francis in the Vatican this morning.

Sixteen people—ten women, four men, and two children - attended the meeting.

One of the attendees presented the Pope with a football shirt bearing the name of Tal Shoham, a family member taken hostage alongside his wife, children, mother-in-law, and other relatives.

Pope Francis received the football shirt

Some of them were later released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.

Several participants held signs displaying the faces and names of their missing or captive family members, with inscriptions such as "Bring him home."

Pope Francis touched each image as a gesture of blessing and paused in silent prayer.

The Israeli Embassy to the Holy See described the encounter as "moving", adding that it "showed the Pope's closeness to the victims of that horrible day and his commitment to their release". 

The meeting in the Vatican

The Pope's appeals for peace

Since the October 7 attacks, Pope Francis has consistently used his public addresses to call for the urgent release of hostages taken in the assault, urging a ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian access to those affected. He has emphasized these actions as necessary steps toward resolving the devastating conflict, which erupted after the Hamas-led attack that resulted in over 1,100 deaths and the kidnapping of 240 people, including women, the elderly, and children.

Earlier in the year, on April 8, Pope Francis met with relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. On November 22, 2023, he received both the families of Israeli hostages and a delegation of Palestinians with loved ones suffering amid the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to the latest figures from Gaza's health ministry, over 43,700 casualties have resulted from relentless Israeli strikes. Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, noted that on that occasion the Pope sought to express “spiritual solidarity with the suffering of all involved.”

On October 17, the Pope also held a private audience with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa, joined by a delegation of peace activists. Describing the meeting as “important and moving,” both leaders said that Pope Francis showed extraordinary concern for peace efforts in the Middle East.