A delegation of Sant'Egidio from Italy, Ukraine, Germany, Spain and Belgium has visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem in recent days. They have met with several religious representatives such as the Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos, the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton and some representatives of Jewish communities.
The delegation has also met some relatives of the hostages captured on 7 October 2023 and Palestinian students from the Catholic University of Bethlehem. The visit was aimed at renewing the long-standing friendship between Sant'Egidio and those communities, to show solidarity and closeness at an extremely difficult time, in the hope that an end to the conflict may soon be reached.
Sant'Egidio has welcomed some of the wounded people - mostly children - from Gaza in Italy in recent months, to guarantee adequate medical care. It wants to continue this humanitarian work, after receiving some requests for help.
