He expressed a hope for peace in Israel and Palestine, "I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage. 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."
"I implore peace for Ukraine. Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to its embattled people," he continued, also calling for the resolution of conflicts simmering in the Middle East, Africa, and the Caucasus.
The Gaza war cast a somber tone over Christmas in Bethlehem, the biblical city in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus Christ was laid in a manger over 2,000 years ago.
The town opted for a subdued celebration, foregoing its usual giant Christmas tree, marching bands, and flamboyant nativity scene that attract tourists.
Instead, only a few festive lights adorned the center of town, accompanied by a unfolded Palestinian flag with a banner declaring, "The bells of Bethlehem ring for a ceasefire in Gaza."
“A lot of people are dying for this land,” said Nicole Najjar, an 18-year-old student.
“It’s really hard to celebrate while our people are dying.”
Inside Gaza, the horrid conditions were driving “rising desperation due to acute hunger,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.
The Gaza war started after a Hamas attack on October 7 left around 1,140 people dead in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.
The Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.
Israel retaliated with a sustained bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, that has killed more than 20,400 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
