Pope Francis on Sunday lamented the end of the truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza and urged both to implement a new ceasefire as soon as possible.
"The situation is serious in Israel and Palestine," the pontiff, who suffers from bronchitis, said in a text read in Italian by Paolo Braida, one of his assistants after the Angelus prayer. "There is a lot of suffering in Gaza, there is a lack of basic necessities," he said.
"In Israel and Palestine the situation is dire. It is sad that the truce has been broken: this means death, destruction and misery. Many hostages have been released, but many remain in Gaza. Let us think of them, of their families who had seen a light, a hope of embracing their loved ones again," the Pope said.
On another point, Francis said he prays "for the victims of the attack" that took place hours ago in the Philippines, where at least four people died and 42 others were injured as a result of an explosion that occurred during a Catholic Mass in Marawi, in the south of the country.
"I wish to assure you of my prayers for the victims of the attack that took place this morning in the Philippines, where a bomb exploded during a Mass," he said. He added, "I am close to the families, to the people of Mindanao who have already suffered so much."
Francis prayed the Angelus for the second Sunday in a row at his residence in Casa Santa Marta instead of looking out over St. Peter's Square, where thousands of faithful followed his words through television screens.
The explosion to which the pope referred, whose authorship is unknown, occurred in a gymnasium at the University of Mindanao where a religious event was being held attended by dozens of people.
Many of the attendees were university students, according to authorities, who have launched an operation to determine who is behind the attack, while the governor of Lanao del Sur, whose capital is Marawi, called the attack a terrorist bombing.
With information from EFE and AFP