Overview
- A White House–brokered Israel–Hamas ceasefire took effect this week, with reports that the remaining October 7 hostages were freed and a framework for Gaza’s rehabilitation was agreed.
- Father Gabriel Romanelli of Gaza City’s Holy Family Church reported that bombing has stopped and morale is improving, though residents remain fearful the fighting could return.
- Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa welcomed the truce but said a change of leadership and a shift away from hate-filled rhetoric are needed to prepare real peace.
- The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem called for a wide-scale humanitarian operation, as the Latin Patriarchate directed funds to rebuild Holy Family parish.
- The parish sheltered roughly 550 people during the war and was hit by an Israeli strike on July 17 that killed three, while Pope Leo XIV ordered more medications for children as health needs persist.