Easter celebrations held in Israel as Gaza strikes continue

Pope Francis makes appeal for peace in Gaza in Easter message

(The Hill) — Pope Francis made a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the “prompt” release of all Israel hostages during his traditional Easter message “to the city and the world” on Sunday.

The address came after Francis presided over Mass in the morning and made several loops around the piazza, greeting some of the tens of thousands of people that the Vatican estimated to be in attendance.

Francis appeared “in good form,” The Associated Press reported, after battling respiratory problems all winter. It was a reassuring sign after Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession and skipped the Palm Sunday Mass last week, leaving an open question as to whether he would be fully participating in the Easter celebrations.

Why is Easter never on the same Sunday?

From the central balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis delivered the traditional annual address, expressing his sympathies for those suffering throughout the world and calling for a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

“My thoughts go especially to the victims of the many conflicts worldwide, beginning with those in Israel and Palestine, and in Ukraine. May the risen Christ open a path of peace for the war-torn peoples of those regions. In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, all for the sake of all!

Francis called for humanitarian aid to be “ensured to Gaza,” for the “prompt” release of all Israeli hostages taken on Oct. 7, and for “an immediately cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip.

King Charles III in Easter message calls for kindness after cancer diagnosis

“Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population, by now at the limit of its endurance, and above all on the children. How much suffering we see in the eyes of the children: the children in those lands at war have forgotten how to smile!” he added. “With those eyes, they ask us: Why? Why all this death? Why all this destruction? War is always an absurdity; war is always a defeat!”

“Let us not allow the strengthening winds of war to blow on Europe and the Mediterranean. Let us not yield to the logic of weapons and rearming. Peace is never made with arms, but with outstretched hands and open hearts.”

Francis said, “let us not forget Syria,” noting the immense suffering from “a long and devastating war.” He also expressed grief for the suffering of the Haitians and the Rohingya.

Francis appealed “to all who have political responsibilities to spare no efforts in combatting the scourge of human trafficking, by working tirelessly to dismantle the networks of exploitation and to bring freedom to those who are their victims.”

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Easter celebrations held in Israel as Gaza strikes continue

Easter celebrations held in Israel as Gaza strikes continue – CBS News

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Easter celebrations were held in Jerusalem as Israel continued military strikes in Gaza. Holly Williams reports.

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Pope Francis makes appeal for peace in Gaza in Easter message

Pope Francis made a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the “prompt” release of all Israel hostages during his traditional Easter message “to the city and the world” on Sunday.

Francis called for humanitarian aid to be “ensured to Gaza,” for the “prompt” release of all Israeli hostages taken on Oct. 7, and for “an immediately cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip.

Francis said, “let us not forget Syria,” noting the immense suffering from “a long and devastating war.” He also expressed grief for the suffering of the Haitians and the Rohingya.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

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Israel says it has bombed terrorist command centre in Gaza hospital

The Israeli army is continuing its fight against the Palestinian Islamist Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip, it said on Sunday, providing further details about an attack on a hospital.

Among dozens of other targets, the military bombed a suspected PIJ command centre in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Four people were killed in the attack, according to the Gaza health authorities. A tent in the courtyard was attacked and 17 people were also injured, including four journalists, Palestinian media reported.

The IDF said members of the terrorist organization were in the jihadist command centre. However, the Gaza media office said the tent that came under attack belonged to people seeking protection.

The hospital itself was not damaged, the IDF said. The command centre was deliberately attacked in order to minimize damage to bystanders in the hospital, the army said, without giving details.

None of the information could initially be independently verified.

The statements came a day after the air force struck 80 positions in the coastal strip, including military sites and areas where Hamas members had been staying, the IDF said.

The army is continuing its operation against extremists entrenched in the Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza in the north of the coastal strip, according to the IDF. People were killed in several buildings of the hospital , according to reports, with the army saying terrorists were killed.

In a stairwell, soldiers engaged in a chase and exchange of fire with armed and high-ranking members of Hamas, killing them in the process.

The army also found hidden weapons in the maternity ward of the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Ammunition was found in pillows, blankets and walls, the IDF said.

Israel accuses the Islamist Hamas of systematically misusing medical facilities for military purposes, charges Hamas rejects.

Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas but faces growing criticism at home and abroad given the soaring number of civilian casualties and catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

So far, 32,782 people have been killed and 75,298 injured in Gaza according to the health authority in the Strip since the start of the war, unleashed when Hamas and other extremists killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel.

Later, the Israeli air force targeted a vehicle in neighbouring Lebanon, killing an important commander of the anti-tank unit of the Shiite militia Hezbollah.

“A short while ago, an IAF aircraft struck a vehicle in the area of Kounine in Lebanon in which Ismail Al-Zin was located. Al-Zin was a significant commander in the Anti-Tank Missile Unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X.

“Al-Zin was a significant source of knowledge regarding anti-tank missiles and was responsible for dozens of anti-tank missile attacks against Israeli civilians, communities and security forces.”

The information could not initially be independently verified.

The Israeli forces also said there were further rocket attacks from Lebanon on Israeli border towns on Sunday. One soldier was injured in the process. The military attacked targets in southern Lebanon in response, they said.

Cross-border military action has become an almost daily event since the Gaza War erupted late last year.

The escalation, in which there have been deaths on both sides of the border, is the worst since the 2006 Lebanon War.

An injured Palestinian lies in a corridor at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, following Israel bombardment. Str/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

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Pope issues Easter Sunday call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Pope Francis issued an urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for an exchange of prisoners in the war in Ukraine during his traditional Easter Sunday address.

“I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza, and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on 7 October last and for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip,” the pope said.

Turning to the war in Ukraine, he called for respect for the principles of international law and expressed the hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.

In a general call for world peace, Francis mentioned conflicts along the Israel-Lebanon border, between Armenia and Azerbaijan and noted continuing fighting in many parts of Africa.

Earlier, he celebrated Easter Sunday Mass on St Peter’s Square in Rome on Sunday morning amid strict security provided by the Italian authorities.

While Francis was present, a high-ranking cleric led the service on behalf of the 87-year-old pope, who is in ailing health.

A congregation of some 30,000 were present in mild spring temperatures of around 20 degrees but with a brisk wind. The square was decorated as always with flowers and plants, many from the Netherlands.

There were cheers as Francis was driven past the crowd in the popemobile after the mass, with many calling out: “Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope).

The Vatican’s Easter festivities have been overshadowed by concerns about the pontiff, who has been in poor health for months.

Strict security was in force as always, but increased this year following the recent terrorist attack on a concert hall near Moscow for which an Afghanistan-based Islamist terrorist group, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), has claimed responsibility.

Long queues formed at the entrances to the square as Italian police conducted checks.

The Mass and traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing – Latin for to the city and the world – is the highlight of the Easter holidays and the most important festival in the Christian calendar.

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and thus the victory of life over death.

Pope Francis pictured during the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday at the St. Peter's Square. Domenico Cippitelli/LPS via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa — Pope Francis pictured during the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday at the St. Peter’s Square. Domenico Cippitelli/LPS via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

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Fighting rages across Gaza amid revival of truce talks

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians in Gaza in the past 24 hours, health authorities said on Sunday, as Egypt hosted an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. It did not mention his name or rank.

“The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, the military said, adding it was intended to minimise “harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital”.

“The Al-Aqsa Hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected.”

There was no immediate comment from Islamic Jihad, a militant group and ally of Hamas.

Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said the strike hit several tents inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital, killing four people and wounding several, including five journalists.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the health authorities. Health officials say most of the fatalities are civilians, while Israel says at least a third are fighters.

The war erupted after Hamas militants broke through the border and rampaged through communities in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to keep up military pressure on Hamas, while showing flexibility in the talks, saying that only that combination would bring about the release of some 130 hostages still held incommunicado in Gaza.

Hamas says any deal must secure an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of Hamas.

Hamas would not be present at the talks in Cairo, an official told Reuters on Sunday, as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.

In the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces continued to blockade the two main hospitals, and tanks shelled areas in the middle and eastern areas of the territory.

Palestinian health officials said an Israeli air strike killed nine people in Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis, while another air strike killed four people in Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said it killed 15 gunmen in the central Gaza Strip and several more in Khan Younis, including near Al-Amal hospital.

In Gaza City, Israeli forces continued to operate inside Al Shifa Hospital, the territory’s biggest, the health ministry said. Residents living nearby said residential districts had been destroyed by Israeli forces near Al Shifa.

“I went out looking to buy some medicine from a pharmacy and what I saw was heart-breaking. Complete streets with buildings that used to stand there had been destroyed,” said Abu Mustafa, 49.

“This is not war, this is genocide,” he told Reuters over the phone from Gaza City.

Facing fierce international pressure, Israel says it is doing all it can to minimize harm to civilians as it battles militants in an urban battlefield.

Netanyahu said that around 200 gunmen have so far been killed at Al Shifa hospital and that hundreds more had surrendered.

“No hospital in the world looks like this. This is what a house of terrorists looks like,” Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem.

Hamas denies having a military presence at the hospital and its spokespeople have said those killed there were civilians.

The Israeli military said that weapons were found at the hospital and that “Several compounds used to launch anti-tank missiles and where snipers operated were struck by IAF aircraft” in the Rimal neighbourhood near Shifa.

EASTER

At Gaza City’s The Holy Family Church some Christian Palestinians took part in a sombre Easter service.

“My wish is that they leave us alone and that we go back to our lands and children,” said Winnie Tarazzi, a Gaza woman praying at the church.

Gaza’s population comprises an estimated 1,000 Christians, most of whom are Greek Orthodox.

In the peace talks, Hamas also wants hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were displaced from Gaza City and surrounding areas southward during the first stage of the war to be allowed back north.

The World Court on Thursday unanimously ordered Israel, accused by South Africa of genocide in Gaza, to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the population.

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovtich and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Nick Macfie, Louise Heavens and Hugh Lawson)

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World Food Programme’s Cindy McCain says they need “full, unfettered access” into Gaza

World Food Programme’s Cindy McCain says they need “full, unfettered access” into Gaza – CBS News

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As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues amid the war between Israel and Hamas, World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain tells “Face the Nation” that the organization needs “full, unfettered access” into the region “and right now we don’t have that.”

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An Israeli airstrike hits a Gaza hospital tent camp, killing 2 Palestinians and hurting journalists

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp in the courtyard of a crowded hospital in central Gaza on Sunday, killing two Palestinians and wounding another 15, including journalists working nearby.

An Associated Press reporter filmed the strike and aftermath at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where thousands of people have sheltered after fleeing their homes elsewhere in the war-ravaged territory. People including women and children scattered and cried out.

The Israeli military said it struck a command center of the Islamic Jihad militant group and claimed the hospital’s functioning was not affected.

Tens of thousands of people have sought shelter in Gaza’s hospitals since the start of the war nearly six months ago, viewing them as relatively safe from airstrikes. Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of operating in and around medical facilities, and troops have raided a number of hospitals.

Israeli troops have been raiding Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest, for nearly two weeks and say they have fought heavy battles with militants in and around the medical compound. The military says it has killed scores of fighters, including senior Hamas operatives. It said Sunday it had found numerous weapons hidden there.

Palestinian families who fled from the area, including many who had been displaced earlier in the war, say they were ordered to march south by Israeli soldiers after days of heavy fighting.

Only a third of Gaza’s hospitals are even partially functioning, while Israeli strikes kill and wound scores of people every day. Doctors say they are often forced to treat patients on hospital floors because all the beds are taken, and to operate without anesthetic and other crucial medical supplies.

Those wounded in Sunday’s strike lay on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital floor and gasped while being treated, one clutching at the underside of a stretcher that held someone else.

An international team of doctors who recently visited the hospital said they were horrified by the war’s gruesome impact on Palestinian children. The World Health Organization director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving care.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7 and rampaged across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages back to Gaza. Over 100 captives were freed last year in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Israel responded to the assault with one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history, one that has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes. More than half of the population is now sheltering in the southern city of Rafah, where Israel plans a ground offensive despite warnings of catastrophe from allies and humanitarian groups.

The United Nations and partners have warned that famine could occur in devastated, largely isolated northern Gaza as early as this month. Humanitarian officials say deliveries by sea and air are not enough and that Israel must allow far more aid by road. Egypt has said thousands of trucks are waiting. The top U.N. court has ordered Israel to open more land crossings and take other measures to address the crisis.

The head of the World Food Program, Cindy McCain, told CBS on Sunday that WFP was able to get just nine trucks into Gaza on Saturday. “That’s nothing. We just cannot continue this way,” she said, calling for unrestricted access. “People are going to die otherwise, and they already are dying.”

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that at least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including 77 whose bodies were brought to hospitals over the last 24 hours. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and fighters, but it has said that women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

Israel says over one-third of the dead are militants, though it has not provided evidence to support that, and it blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates in residential areas. Gaza health officials have repeatedly denied Israeli claims that militants operate in hospitals.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker another cease-fire and hostage release since January. The cease-fire talks resumed in Cairo on Sunday, with little expectation of any breakthrough.

Hamas is demanding that any such agreement lead to an end to the war and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those demands and says Israel will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. But he is under growing pressure to reach a deal from families of the hostages, some of whom have joined mass demonstrations calling for early elections to replace him.

On Saturday night, families of hostages said weekly protests would take to the streets of Israel from now on.

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GOP Rep. Tim Walberg suggests Gaza should be handled ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima’

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said this week that the conflict in Gaza should be over quickly “like Nagasaki and Hiroshima,” and the United States should refrain from sending any humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave as Israel’s war with Hamas continues.

“We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid,” Walberg said at a town hall meeting on Monday in Dundee, Michigan, according to a video that circulated on social media.

“It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick,” he continued, referring to the Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped atomic bombs during World War II. Hundreds of thousands of people died.

In a statement, Walberg said he “used a metaphor to convey the need for both Israel and Ukraine to win their wars as swiftly as possible, without putting American troops in harm’s way.”

“My reasoning was the exact opposite of what is being reported: the quicker these wars end, the fewer innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire,” he added.

According to Walberg’s public calendar, he was scheduled to attend a community gathering in Dundee on Monday, March 25, at 10 a.m.

Walberg made the comment in response to a question from an audience member who asked, “Why are we spending our money to build a port for them?”

The question appeared to reference the Biden administration’s plan to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via a floating dock. The United Nations and other agencies have warned the enclave is on the brink of famine amid Israel’s five-month assault and the lack of sufficient supplies flowing into Gaza.

“It’s Joe Biden’s reason: We need to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. I don’t think we should,” Walberg replied.

More than 32,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel launched its war against Hamas, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The military campaign follows the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack in the country, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. More than 100 people are still believed to be held captive in Gaza.

A number of Walberg’s fellow Michigan politicians quickly criticized his remarks.

Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens said in a post on X that “threatening to use, suggesting the use of, or, God forbid actually using nuclear weapons, are unacceptable tactics of war in the 21st Century.”

Former Rep. Justin Amash, a Palestinian American Republican who is running for Senate, said in a post that Walberg’s comments “evince an utter indifference to human suffering,” adding “for him to suggest that hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians should be obliterated, including my own relatives sheltering at an Orthodox Christian church, is reprehensible and indefensible.”

State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat, called on Walberg to resign, and Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee said Walberg’s comments were “horrific & shocking” and his position “indefensible.”

“My colleague’s comments are reckless and wrong,” Rep. Hillary Scholten, a Democrat, said on X. She called Walberg’s comments “depraved” and urged him to “retract and apologize.”

Politicians outside of Michigan also took issue with Walberg’s comments.

Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., called the comments “horrific, inhumane, and barbaric,” and Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said the remarks were “disgraceful” and “shameful.”

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Pope issues Easter Sunday call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Pope Francis issued an urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for an exchange of prisoners in the war in Ukraine during his traditional Easter Sunday address.

Turning to the war in Ukraine, he called for respect for the principles of international law and expressed the hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.

In a general call for world peace, Francis mentioned conflicts along the Israel-Lebanon border, between Armenia and Azerbaijan and noted continuing fighting in many parts of Africa.

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