Christians across the globe have joined together in prayer for peace in the Middle East, taking part in a Day of Prayer and Fasting.
Amid the tense war between Israel and Hamas, which has sparked a massive humanitarian crisis, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa asked the world to join in prayer for peace and an end to the conflict.
Writing to the world’s faithful as President of the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL), Cardinal Pizzabella asked everyone to engage in a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer for peace and reconciliation in the battered region.
The call was heeded by several Bishops’ Conferences, Catholic organisations and religious across the globe, with many parishes and Diocese’ engaging in organised prayer.
Cardinal Pizzabella demonstrated his own commitment to peace in the region, saying he would offer himself in exchange for Israeli children being held hostage by Hamas.
The Cardinal told reporters during an online meeting on Monday that he was willing to do "anything" to "bring to freedom and bring home the children" taken into Gaza during Hamas' on Israel, in which more than 1,300 Israelis were killed.
On Monday, Pope Francis made a phone call to the parishioners of the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza and assured them they were in his prayers as they endure immense suffering.
The call for peace comes at a critical time during the conflict. On Tuesday, a hospital in Gaza was hit by a rocket killing hundreds of people, with both sides blaming each other for the attack.