Israelis and Palestinians face “pain and mourning” over the Christmas period as the war in the Gaza Strip rages on, Pope Francis said, calling for prayers and “tangible aid” for the devastated enclave, Reuters reports.

“For the inhabitants of the Holy Land, a #Christmas of pain and mourning looms. We do not want to leave them alone. May we stand by them in prayer and tangible aid…” Francis wrote on social media platform X.