«It is undoubtedly good news. The road to peace is long but we have to start somehow. These gestures, especially the release of the hostages and prisoners, the partial, at least initial withdrawal of the Israeli army, give the confidence necessary to continue.” With these words to SIR, the CEI agency, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, comments on the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, «this first phase will open up others – he adds – and will create a new climate which will also help in the distribution of aid. It won’t be possible to return to normality, to ordinary life yet because the situation is disastrous but we need to start rethinking it.”
The signing of the first phase of the agreement between Hamas and Israel was commented by Pizzaballa with a message published on the official accounts of the Patriarchate: «We woke up this morning with the wonderful news of the agreement on the first phase of a negotiation that will certainly be very long, there will be many obstacles, there will be ups and downs», said the Patriarch, “this news of the release of the hostages, of many prisoners and of the beginning of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip is something that has brought a totally new spirit into the life of our Holy Land, especially in Gaza where the people, as the images are showing, do nothing but rejoice”.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem added: «There will be many obstacles but we have to start writing a new page, so we are very happy with what is happening, we must rejoice in this. Of course there will still be much to do. This new spirit has brought a new attitude within the institutions and I also think that, from the point of view of school, health care, food, it will be a new phase. We hope so. I repeat: It is not the end of the conflict but a new beginning. And I hope that we can dedicate the time we have in front of us not to discuss war but how to rebuild after war.”
