— War is always a defeat, it is the destruction of human brotherhood. Brothers, stop! Stop!, urged the Pope.
The 86-year-old Francis also repeated earlier calls that humanitarian aid must be allowed into the Gaza Strip and that the hostages must be freed.
On October 7, Hamas, labeled as a terrorist, which rules Gaza, crossed into Israel and killed at least 1,400 people. Around 200 were taken hostage.
During the ongoing Israeli retaliatory attacks, more than 4,600 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
“War, any war in the world – I am also thinking of the tormented Ukraine – is a defeat,” Francis said in the prayer.
The Vatican also announced on Sunday that the Pope and US President Joe Biden had a conversation during the day about “conflict situations in the world and the need to identify ways to peace”.
The call is said to have lasted about 20 minutes.