Pope deplores 'desperate humanitarian situation' in Gaza

VATICAN, Holy See — Pope Francis on Monday deplored the desperate humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire and the freeing of hostages in his Christmas message.

"My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage," the 87-year-old said in his traditional Urbi et Orbi message.

"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," he told thousands of faithful gathered at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican.

Nearly three months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic according to the United Nations, with 85 percent of the population displaced.

The war began on October 7 when Hamas gunmen broke through Gaza's militarised border and killed about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

The Palestinian militants also abducted about 250 people, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where more than 20,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel controls access to Gaza and aid has been trickling in from Egypt. Last week Israel approved the delivery of aid via its Kerem Shalom crossing but it is hugely insufficient to meet the needs in the devastated territory.

The pope also called for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community".

In his Christmas Eve message late Sunday, the pontiff had called for peace in the Holy Land.

"Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today