Israel takes control of key Gaza corridor, to expand offensive

LONDON: Christians in the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip have told of their heartbreak following the death of Pope Francis, who had called them “every day” during the Israeli conflict that began in late 2023.

Gaza’s Holy Family Church paid tribute to the late pontiff, who passed away on Monday.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the parish, shared details about the pope’s last phone call with the Catholic community, revealing that he called them on Saturday and said: “Thank you … for all that we made here.”

During an interview with Sky News, Romanelli added that the pope had “asked (for) prayer and gave the blessing for all the people, for the Christian community and for all the citizens in Gaza.”

He added that the late pope “was a very humble servant of the Lord.”

Romanelli said: “All the time he told us, for more than a year-and-a-half (of the Israeli war), and he called every day, every day. He asked to help people, to protect the children.”

Pope Francis called for peace in conflict-ridden areas, including the Middle East and Sudan, throughout his 12-year tenure as head of the Catholic Church.

He called for an investigation into whether Israel had committed genocide in Gaza following the attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023. He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages during his final public appearance on Easter Sunday.

He said: “I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.

“I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”

Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 after enduring a severe bout of double pneumonia.

George Antone, the head of the emergency committee at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, told the Vatican News Service: “We lost a saint who taught us every day how to be brave, how to keep patient and stay strong.”

The pope’s nightly phone calls to check on Gaza’s Christian community had become routine during the conflict. He also made it a point to speak to everyone in the room and not just the priest, Antone said.

He added: “We are heartbroken because of the death of Pope Francis, but we know that he is leaving behind a church that cares for us and that knows us by name, every single one of us.

“He used to tell each one: I am with you, don’t be afraid.”

VERMONT, USA: A Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was recently arrested during an interview about finalizing his US citizenship says he’s “in good hands” at the Vermont prison where he is being held.
Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, was arrested April 14 in Colchester, Vermont. He met Monday with US Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, a Democrat, who posted it on X.
“I’m staying positive by reassuring myself in the ability of justice and the deep belief of democracy,” Mahdawi said in Welch’s video. “This is the reason I wanted to become a citizen of this country, because I believe in the principles of this country.”
Welch’s office said Mahdawi was being detained at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, Vermont. His case is scheduled for a status conference Wednesday. His lawyers have called for his release.
The US Justice Department has not said why he’s being detained. The New York Times reported April 15 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote a memo that says Mahdawi’s activities could “potentially undermine” the Middle East peace process.
“We do not comment on on any ongoing litigation,” the State Department press office said in response to an email seeking comment.
Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify the deportation of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. It gives Rubio power to deport those who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
An immigration judge ruled April 11 that Khalil can be forced out of the country as a national security risk, after lawyers argued the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. His lawyers plan to appeal.
Mahdawi said that in studying for his citizenship test, he learned “that the freedom of speech and religion and assembly is guaranteed to everyone in the United States, which is part of the foundation of this country.”
Mahdawi said his work “has been centered on peacemaking.”
“My empathy, as I mentioned before, extends beyond the Palestinian people and my empathy extends to the Jews and to the Israelis,” he said. “And my hope and my dream is to see this conflict, if one might say, to see an end to the war, an end to the killing, to see a peaceful resolution between Palestinians and Israelis. How could this be a threat to anybody, except the war machine that is feeding this?”
Welch responded, “It would be good for everybody for us to have peace.”
Mahdawi said, “I want to tell everyone that I feel so loved and so supported. And I am here in good hands. I am centered, I am clear, I am grounded. And I don’t want you to worry about me.”
According to the court filing, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. He recently completed coursework at Columbia and was expected to graduate in May before beginning a master’s degree program there in the fall.
As a student, Mahdawi was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024.