Pope Francis Calls a Priest from Gaza Twice in Concern for the Safety of the Christians Living along the Strip

The attack on Israeli territory began at dawn on Saturday, October 7th. Thousands of rockets from Gaza toward Israeli territory fell on areas in the border of Gaza's Strip and on Tel Aviv and Ashkelon. Raids by Hamas militiamen reached Israeli colonies closest to the Strip and captured prisoners. Marine craft and paramotors (paragliders equipped with engines) were used in the raid. The Palestinian action was dubbed the "Flood for Jerusalem" and the Israeli operation "Swords of Iron."
Pope Francis is constantly following what is happening in Gaza, reaching out to the small Christian community in the Strip by telephone.
Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli told Vatican News about two phone calls he has received from the Pope since Saturday.
Fr. Romanelli is currently in Bethlehem and in constant contact with the faithful of his parish.
"The Pope called me a few minutes ago", he said. "He expressed his closeness and offered his prayers."
Fr. Romanelli said he "thanked him for his call for a ceasefire and a stop to all violence, all terrorism and all war."

The Pope, he added, "wanted to show his closeness, and now he was going to call the community directly with my vicar helping people who are refugees in the parish."
Catholic community under fire
The Gaza parish is home to around 150 people who have lost their homes or are seeking a safe place from the bombardments, said the Italian-born priest.
He noted that the raids have affected the entire area, but said there have not yet been any reports of deaths among the Christian community or damages.
In all of Israel, there have been 1,000 deaths, and in Gaza, there have been over 900 deaths reported, while the injured number about 4,000 as of Tuesday, as a result of the Israeli raids in response to the terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October.
"Pope Francis also called [on Monday]," recalled the parish priest, explaining that the Pope wanted to know how the people and the parish were doing.
The Pope also imparted his "blessing so that everyone may experience the closeness of the Church. Fides News Agency reported that, "No one knows what lies ahead, and unfortunately there are no signs that what started yesterday may end soon." Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Gaza's Catholic parish dedicated to the Holy Family, describes the overwhelming feelings of uncertainty burdened with sad forebodings prevailing in the local population after the massive attack launched by Hamas militiamen against Israel. Weighing above all is the memory of what has happened in the past in other phases of the conflict. "For situations much less serious than the current one," recalls the Argentine priest, a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, "very long wars started here previously. And now in the face of all this, I am constantly reminded of Pope Pius XII's appeal before the outbreak of World War II: nothing is lost with peace, everything can be lost with war. These are words also repeated by St. John Paul II." For Father Gabriel now, one can only "pray and hope that the war will end as soon as possible, to make it less difficult for the wounds to heal and then work for the justice and peace that so many Israelis and Palestinians desire within their hearts."
The Israeli response took the form of air raids and shelling on the Gaza Strip. The tragic death toll continues to rise. Meanwhile, Israeli army spokesmen said they have evacuated Israeli civilians from settlements in the belt around the Gaza Strip in preparation for military operations to be conducted against Hamas militiamen barricaded inside. The Israeli army has not yet begun operations to penetrate the Gaza territory, which many analysts have foreshadowed as a future move by the Jewish state's armed forces.
On Sunday, Oct. 8, Pope Francis also expressed "apprehension and sorrow" over what is happening in the Holy Land, "where violence has erupted even more ferociously, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries. "After the the Angelus, addressing the multitude gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Bishop of Rome expressed closeness to the families of the victims, praying for them "and for them and for all those who are living hours of terror and anguish. War," the Pontiff continued, "is a defeat: every war is a defeat! Let us pray for peace in Israel and Palestine!". (Sources Vatican News and Fides news Agency 8/10/2023).