Pope Francis' popemobile being turned into health clinic for Gaza children
Church prepares for conclave as official mourning period for Pope Francis comes to an end
Pope Francis' popemobile is being converted into a clinic to help children in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican announced Sunday, calling it the late pontiff's "final gift" to the war-torn territory.
It is being outfitted with lifesaving supplies — including equipment for treatments, diagnoses and vaccines — and will be staffed by nurses and doctors who intend to help treat kids in "the most isolated corners" of Gaza, the Vatican said.
It is unclear, however, when the unit will be able to enter the Gaza Strip, which the U.N. says is the deadliest place on the planet to be a child. Israel has halted the entry of all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, medicine and water.
The Vatican said the mobile clinic will reach kids "once humanitarian access to the strip is restored."
Pope Francis waves to the crowd from his popemobile as he arrives at Manger Square before presiding over an open-air Mass on May 25, 2014, outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank biblical town of Bethlehem.
Abbas Momani/AFP via Getty Images
Francis had used the popemobile to wave to crowds of millions around the world, according to the Vatican.
"This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis," said Anton Asfar, secretary-general of Caritas Jerusalem, a Catholic nonprofit organization that the Vatican said is leading the effort.
In Francis' final public appearance, which was on Easter Sunday this year and was one day before his death, he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as the release of Israeli hostages.
The war was sparked by Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 civilians, including 40 children, and resulted in the capture of 251 people. Israel's war to defeat Hamas and free the hostages has killed 50,000, including 15,000 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
For two months, Israel has blocked aid from going into the Gaza Strip. It says food, fuel, water or medicine won't be allowed to enter until it establishes a system that lets it control distribution.
The U.N.'s largest aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA, says that amid the blockade and ongoing bombing by Israel, families barely have what they need to survive and that those who are injured and sick lack lifesaving help.
"Families — whole families, seven or eight people — are resorting to sharing one can of beans or peas," UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma said late last month in Geneva. "Imagine not having anything to feed your children. Children in Gaza are going to bed starving."
On Monday, Israel's government approved plans for military forces to seize all of Gaza and stay in the territory for an unspecified period, The Associated Press reported, citing two Israeli officials.
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