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.”