This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine war: First week ends with over 2,500 Palestinians, 1,400 Israelis killed
Pope Francis: 'Humanitarian rights must be respected in Gaza'
15 October 2023 11:39 BST
Pope Francis said on Sunday that a humanitarian corridor should be opened to help those under siege in Gaza, and appealed for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Palestinian groups in the enclaves.
"I strongly ask that the children, the sick, the elderly, women and all civilians do not become victims of the conflict," he said during his weekly address to crowds in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.
"Humanitarian right must be respected, above all in Gaza."
A humanitarian corridor to resettle civilians in Egypt is an idea that many Palestinians in Gaza have rejected, fearing a repeat of the displacement in the 1948 Nakba.