The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has called for an end to the bloody war between Israel and Palestine, saying that terrorism and war would not solve any problem but only unleash further suffering and death on innocent people.
Reuters quoted the Pope who made the call on Sunday in his weekly address to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square as saying, “I follow with apprehension and sorrow what is happening in Israel.
“I express my solidarity with the relatives of the victims, and I pray for all those who are experiencing hours of terror and anguish.
“Let the attacks and weapons cease, please, because it must be understood that terrorism and war bring no solutions, but only to the death and suffering of many innocent lives. War is a defeat, every war is a defeat. Let us pray for peace in Israel and Palestine.”
Similarly, President Bola Tinubu in a statement issued by the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, called for a ceasefire, saying that the war between Israel and Palestine would result in an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population of both countries.
The statement read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria is deeply concerned about the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the early hours of Saturday, 7th October, 2023 and calls for de-escalation and ceasefire.
“The cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation has assumed, only serves to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population that bear the brunt of every conflict.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria, therefore, calls on both sides to exercise restraint, prioritize the safety of civilians and give room for humanitarian considerations.
“We are therefore calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue.”
The ongoing war between Israel and Palestine which started on Saturday following a multi-pronged attack by Palestinian gunmen on Israeli towns has claimed the lives of more than 200 Israelis with over 1,000 wounded.
The war has also left bodies of civilians strewn on roads, while the Palestinian Ministry of Health said that at least 256 people in Gaza had been killed in the retaliatory Israeli strikes with over 1,700 reportedly wounded.
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