Six months after the murderous Hamas attack in the Gaza Envelope, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has accepted the Israeli Foreign Minister's request and on Monday will meet with the families of the hostages, who accompanied Minister Israel Katz on his visit to Italy.
It was reported that the Pope would express his sympathy and support for the immediate release of all the hostages.
The Foreign Minister will later meet with his counterpart in the Vatican, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, to discuss the importance of increasing pressure for the release of all hostages still held in Hamas captivity.
"I thank the Pope for accepting my request to meet with the families of the hostages, in order to encourage them and support the return of the hostages to their homes," said Minister Katz.
"The Pope's support has great moral and practical weight and I am convinced that this will contribute to bringing the hostages home. This meeting will be held following the meeting with the Italian Foreign Minister and the Jewish community, as well as meetings planned for tomorrow with the Ministers of Defense and Interior. The purpose of the visit is to increase awareness for the release of the hostages and to ensure continued Italian support for Israel’s war goals and condition that any ceasefire is conditional on the release of the hostages," he added.