Pope pledges to help bring home Gaza captives in Vatican meeting with families

By Lazar Berman

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21 December 2022, 2:01 pm

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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Pope Francis meets with Israeli family members of those being held captive in Gaza, at the Vatican on December 21, 2022. (Israeli Embassy to the Vatican)

Pope Francis commits to help bring home the two Israeli civilians and the bodies of two slain IDF soldiers held by Hamas in Gaza.

According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the pope made the pledge during a 45-minute meeting with the families of the captives in the Vatican.

“The pope promised to work with governments and religious leaders, including Muslim ones, to bring back the sons,” according to the Foreign Ministry readout of the meeting.

Hamas currently holds two living Israelis — Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu — along with the bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 Operation Protective Edge: Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin.

Francis speaks with each of the families, and offers particular solidarity with the suffering of the captives’ mothers.