Palestine

Fr Romanelli emphasises the “strong bond” between Gaza Christians and this pontiff and his predecessor. Appeals for peace come with strong emphasis on the severe famine underway. While the Israeli military is pursuing the offensive, Netanyahu, under US pressure, is allowing limited aid delivery. For the clergyman, the greatest hope for Palestinians is to be able to live in their own land.

The US president is in Saudi Arabia, the first stop on a regional trip that includes the United Arab Emirates and Qatar (but not Israel). His agenda is centred on business and billion-dollar deals (including weapons), relegating other issues to the margins. Economics and Saudi money overshadow human rights issues and environmental concerns linked to the Red Sea megaproject.

The release is expected at 6.30 pm local time, the result of negotiations between the extremist movement and the US administration, rekindling the hope of the families of the other hostages. But Netanyahu is adamant in his opposition to any negotiations with Hamas. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse. In Jerusalem, a second peace summit is held with the participation of Arab and Israeli peace movements.

Speaking to AsiaNews, the activist attacks the prime minister who "wants to continue the war" to "survive politically,” aided by a weak and fragmented opposition and widespread "weariness and despair" in Israeli society. Israel’s latest attacks in Gaza sow more death and destruction. Only un "unpredictable" Trump can push for an agreement but his focus is on the Houthis in Yemen. Some 55 NGOs sign an appeal against the law that would block their activities.

From Bergamo, 60-year-old Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa brings the “Mother Church” back among the electors of a Pope for the first time in centuries. Living in Jerusalem for the past 35 years, the Franciscan friar has long been engaged in dialogue with both Judaism and Islam. He served for 12 years as Custos of the Holy Land. Throughout the many tragic episodes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—including the past two years—he has called for cultivating the freedom of peace, refusing to be crushed by hatred, and making the Gospel resound once again in the land of Jesus.

The pro-Iranian rebel group hits near Ben Gurion airport, announce an offensive on airports to block air traffic. For the first time, Israel has admitted that it has been hit and doubts are emerging about the effectiveness of its defences. The Netanyahu government approves an operation to seize Gaza, at the expense of the hostages, angering their families.

At the La Sapienza University in Rome, the Gaza activist talked about his struggle against Hamas. A member of the Bidna Naish movement, which emerged to demand greater economic fairness and fresh elections, he was arrested twice, in 2019 and 2023. Now in voluntary exile in Europe, he speaks out against the repression by the Islamist movement and calls on the international community to support moderate Palestinian voices, far from Iranian-style extremism.

After the new raid on the Anglican hospital, the parish priest talks about the celebrations in a church perceived as a ‘safe place, even if no place is’ in the Strip. The pain of the death of a child due to the bombings. ‘There is no sign of détente’. The request for prayers and gratitude for the closeness of Pope Francis who ‘continues to call us’.

The Catholic radio based in Taybeh reacts to Palestinian Christians who want Plam Sunday ceremonies cancelled this year to protest Israeli killings in Gaza and the West Bank. However, this tradition represents “resistance to injustice and victory over oppression, injustice, and death. To abandon it would mean abandoning a part of our Palestinian Christian identity.”

According to Amnesty International's report, 91 per cent of known death sentences have been handed down in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. There is no reliable data for China, North Korea and Vietnam since the information is treated as a state secret. Iran has experienced a boom in executions, partly to crack down on protest. Governments have weaponised the death penalty under the pretext of improving security.

This is what emerges from a study by the Centre for Education and Dialogue, which denounces the increase in attacks by extremists and ultra-religious Jewish groups. The socio-political conditions and the low birth rate make the future of Christians in the country uncertain. The appeal for the ‘involvement’ of the Churches in the world. Hana Bendkowsky: ‘The attackers must be brought to justice’.

Khalil Sayegh, originally from Gaza and co-founder of Agora Initiative, talks about a population tired of war and the domination of the extremist movement. Today the protests are more evident because Hamas is weakened and cannot ‘repress them with brutality’. The humanitarian situation is a ‘disaster’ and a large part of the population is at risk of famine due to the block on aid.