The group says the mobile clinic will bring essential healthcare to areas where hospitals have been bombed or shuttered, and where children face increasing threats from untreated wounds, malnutrition and preventable diseases.
“This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable,” Anton Asfar, secretary general of Caritas Jerusalem, said.
“He expressed that throughout the crisis, and now, through this mission, that closeness endures.”
Pope Francis prays during his visit to the West Bank in 2014.Credit: AP
For the late pope, Gaza’s suffering was never distant. According to Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Gaza City’s Holy Family Church – the only Catholic parish in the strip – Francis called the parish every evening for more than a year and a half. At around 8pm each night, he would speak to the priests and to the Palestinians sheltering inside the church, offering prayers, comfort, and encouragement.
Loading
“He shows us his paternity. He is very close to us,” Romanelli told CNN last week. “All the time he called us throughout this war – this horrible war – he would call for peace and send his blessings to all of Gaza’s people.”
The Pope had also called for the release of hostages, met with their relatives and condemned the Hamas-led attack on October 7, which left some 1200 people dead and about 250 abducted.
Francis had been an outspoken critic of the siege and a consistent voice for peace. In what would be his final Easter message, delivered a day before his death, he said he hoped “the light of peace radiate throughout the Holy Land and the entire world.”
Now, that message is being carried forward – literally.
Caritas Jerusalem estimates the vehicle will begin operating later this month. The medical team will prioritise areas with the highest child casualty rates and the least access to healthcare. Funding for the conversion was provided by Caritas Sweden and private donors.
Negotiations with Israeli authorities for entry into Gaza are ongoing.
The project is part of a wider emergency medical response co-ordinated by Catholic aid agencies across the region. Officials say if the pilot is successful, additional vehicles may be converted for similar use.
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
