Popemobile transformed into Gaza mobile children's clinic

The Popemobile used by the late Pope Francis on his 2014 visit to Bethlehem re-emerged on Tuesday as a mobile children's clinic to be deployed in Gaza.

But instead of transporting the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, the re-branded "Vehicle of Hope" is now set to serve in the war-battered Gaza Strip, in accordance with the late pope's wishes.

It was unveiled in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, around the corner from the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square, where preparations are well underway for Christmas.

"The Vehicle of Hope is ready for its new mission," Cardinal Anders Arborelius, the Bishop of Stockholm, told a press conference, after blessing the vehicle.

"We want every child we reach to feel seen, heard and protected. The rights and well-being of the child come first."