In Christmas message, pope calls for Gaza ceasefire and freeing of all hostages

In his Christmas message, Pope Francis calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the freeing of hostages.

“My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage,” the 86-year-old says in his traditional Urbi et Orbi message.

“I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid,” he tells thousands of faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

The war began with the deadly Hamas onslaught on October 7, when thousands of terrorists stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing around 240 hostages. In response, Israel launched an aerial campaign and subsequent ground operation, vowing to eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip and end its rule, while minimizing civilian casualties.

Francis appeals for humanitarian initiatives, dialogue and security to prevail over violence and death in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, South Sudan, Congo and the Korean peninsula,

He calls for governments and people of goodwill in the Americas in particular to address the “troubling phenomenon” of migration and its “unscrupulous traffickers” who take advantage of innocents just looking for a better life.

He takes particular aim at the weapons industry, which he says is fueling the conflicts around the globe with scarcely anyone paying attention.

“It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war,” he says. “And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?”