Pope Francis met with an interfaith delegation at the Vatican on Monday, which included Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Druze representatives. He clarified that remarks attributed to him in excerpts from an upcoming book, suggesting he said "Israel should be investigated for genocide in the Gaza Strip," were taken out of context.
Pope Francis meeting delegation of hostage families
(Video: Yair Rotem)
"I did not claim that Israel committed genocide," he explained to the delegation. "I was shown materials from the war, and I said that if this is true, then it needs to be investigated. I understand what is happening in Gaza. I think Hamas should no longer exist in the world, but the war should also not be prolonged," he emphasized.
The meeting included Rabbi Yosef Garmon, formerly the Chief Rabbi of Guatemala and currently head of "The Humanitarian Coalition," which promotes humanitarian programs in Latin America. Rabbi Garmon, a tank commander in the 9026 Battalion who participated in fighting in Gaza and the north, addressed the Pope, who was born and raised in Argentina before becoming the leader of the Catholic world: "You cannot say that Israel must be investigated for genocide.
"Look at my fellow soldiers who died from our unit," Rabbi Garmon continued. "They died because we entered Gaza only to search for the terrorists and to protect the innocent. Israel also protects the Palestinians and liberates them from Hamas. Any other country would bomb them from the air and eliminate this threat in one day. Israel has the capability to end the war in one day and erase Gaza entirely, but it did not act that way and risked its soldiers to prevent the killing of innocents. You should investigate those who call to investigate Israel - not the other way around."
Pope Francis reiterated that his words were taken out of context and noted his agreement that people of different faiths are also threatened by radicalism, and if it prevails, everyone loses. He claimed that while Palestinians continuously send him materials about the war, Israel does not provide him with documentation or draw attention to it. Druze religious leaders from Hurfeish, a Druze town in northern Israel, also attended the meeting, informing the Pope that the Druze community in Israel suffers from terrorism and recounting the story of 12 children killed in Majdal Shams in the northern Golan by a Hezbollah rocket.
About a week and a half ago, an Israeli delegation of families of hostages and those released from Hamas captivity visited the Vatican and met with the Pope and senior Italian officials. During the meeting, Tal Shem's family gave the Pope a soccer jersey with Tal's name and called for his release. This followed a conversation between Nevo, Shem's son, and Pope Francis about their shared love for football before the delegation's arrival.
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The Pope expressed his closeness to the families of the hostages and committed to doing everything he can to ensure their release. "I pray for you and your people," he noted, "and the first important thing is to save people." The delegation also included Yelena Trofanov, whose son Sasha is still in captivity; Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husband Oded is still held in Gaza, and her daughter Sharon Lifshitz who accompanied the delegation; Adi Shem, who, along with her children Nevo and Yahel, was released from Hamas captivity after 50 days, while the family patriarch Tal remains in captivity; and Luis Har, who was released in a heroic operation after 129 days in captivity.
At the end of October, the Pope also met with Alon Kaminer, considered one of the war's most severely wounded from its outset. A year after the injury, in which he lost both hands, a leg, and an eye, he traveled to the Vatican with a delegation from the Sheba Medical Center, and the Pope embraced and blessed him. "In our meeting, he told me to keep smiling and to keep pushing forward," Kaminer recounted. "Our conversation was a simple exchange between two people, and at the end, he told me that I have a beautiful smile. It was amazing; it was a really strong and emotional experience."