Tel Aviv: Pope Francis unequivocally condemned terror, which, he said, is worse than war in the context of the Israel-Hamas war during his meeting with representatives of families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza. The families asked him to issue a clear call for the release of all the abductees held by Hamas and not to leave anyone behind.
Yuval Danzig, whose 75-year-old father Alex was abducted in Gaza, said, "At the end of my words, the Pope stated that he had heard about my father." His father Alex was one of the pioneers of the youth delegations to Poland.
"Terror is worse than war," the Pope told the delegation and at the end, he warmly shook the hands of all the participants of the meeting and emphasized that he would do everything in his power to help.
Israel's ambassador to the Vatican Rafi Schutz noted that the meeting is taking place as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' effort to keep the issue at the centre of the world agenda, as part of the various steps taken on behalf of the ministry to bring about the speedy release of all the abductees.
