Pope calls on Hamas to free hostages

Pope Francis called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to free hostages abducted from Israel, adding he is “concerned” over Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip.

“I continue to follow what is happening in Israel and Palestine with tears and apprehension: many people killed, others injured,” Francis said Wednesday in his address to the general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. “I pray for those families who have seen a feast day transformed into a day of mourning, and I ask that the hostages be released immediately.”

“It is the right of those who are attacked to defend themselves, but I am very concerned about the total siege under which the Palestinians are living in Gaza, where there have also been many innocent victims,” he continued.

Hamas launched a surprise attack Saturday on Israel that killed hundreds; most of the dead appear to be civilians. Details of atrocities have emerged since the incursions; 14 U.S. citizens have been killed and others are believed to have been taken hostage.

Hamas, recognized as a terrorist group by the U.S. government, has threatened to kill hostages if Israel bombs Gaza without warning.

Israel has responded to the attacks with hundreds of strikes on Gaza. The Israeli government has declared war against the militant group and vowed to avenge the deadly attacks.

Israeli forces have ramped up retaliatory strikes in recent days while Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip, vowing to halt the supply of food, electricity and water to the region.

Between the cutoff in resources and the destruction of several neighborhoods in Gaza, more than 200,000 of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes and take shelter in U.N. humanitarian-run buildings, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In a push for peace, Francis stressed terrorism and extremism does little to resolve the ongoing conflict, but rather “fuel[s] hatred, violence, revenge, and only cause each to other suffer.”

“The Middle East does not need war, but peace, a peace built on dialogue and the courage of fraternity,” Francis said.

The death toll continued to climb Wednesday to an estimated 2,200 lives on both sides, with numbers expected to keep rising, according to The Associated Press.

Gaza’s Health Ministry estimated around 1,055 Palestinians have been killed so far in the conflict, with thousands of others injured.

This story was updated at 11:27 a.m.