Vatican: Pope Francis receives a group of Israeli hostages from Hamas

Pope Francis received this Thursday at the Vatican a group of Israelis who were kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist group and released after months of captivity in Gaza.

During the audience, which took place in the Library of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, the Holy Father spoke with them and also with relatives of the hostages still in the hands of Hamas.

The former hostages are part of the call Hostage and Missing Families Forum (Hostages and Missing Families Forum), an association created by the relatives of the 240 people kidnapped by terrorists in the attack on October 7, 2023, where they also murdered 1,200 people.

In the images of the meeting, held privately, you can see how Pope Francis greets one by one and blesses the signs that the relatives of the kidnapped people carry with photographs of their loved ones.

It is the example, as indicated Vatican Newsof a boy who gave the Pontiff a soccer jersey with the name of Tal Shoham, a family member kidnapped along with his wife, children, mother-in-law and other relatives, some of whom were released after the temporary agreement between Hamas and Israel.

“Bring him home” (Bring it home), along with the association’s logo, could also be seen on the signs that the relatives showed to Pope Francis.

Although the Vatican has not offered further details about the audience, the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See described this meeting as “moving”, ensuring that it has also shown the closeness of the Pope and “his commitment to his liberation” of the kidnapped people.

Likewise, at the end of the audience the Holy Father prayed with those present for a few minutes in silence.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Pope Francis has shown his firm opposition and has called for the release of the hostages. As a sign of its closeness to the conflict in the Middle East, it is the third time that it has received relatives of kidnapped people. The first meeting took place in November 2023 and the second was on April 8 of this year.