Holy Land

Pope Leo XIV welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a Vatican-Palestinian agreement recognizing the State of Palestine and guaranteeing the freedom of the Catholic Church in the territory.

President Donald Trump's ceasefire agreement in Gaza was tested Oct. 28 as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to conduct strikes in Gaza as his government alleged Hamas violated a White House-backed ceasefire agreement.

At first, Grace Rofa, 20, a Catholic Palestinian from Jerusalem, and Reign Arpon, 19, a Filipino member of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in Tel Aviv, were unsure what the Oct. 18 "Be Happy Youth Festival" would be like.

President Donald Trump said during a meeting in Egypt on Oct. 13 that "phase two has started" of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas in response to a question from a reporter about when the next stage of negotiations would begin.

Scenes of joy, relief and tearful welcomes flooded media across the world Oct. 13 as the remaining Israeli hostages were freed from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem welcomed "with joy" the announcement of an initial agreement between Hamas and Israel in an Oct. 9 statement, but also stressed the "absolute urgency" for the "immediate" and "unconditional" entry of humanitarian relief and sufficient aid into Gaza.

Register staff explore the breaking news of a potential ceasefire in Gaza, Conlon’s latest column on the Nobel Peace Prize, and Amundson unpacks Canada’s plummeting fertility rates and the contradiction of federal policies funding abortion and MAiD while chasing population growth.

Eman Badah, 31, gave birth a few days ago and while her premature son lies in an intensive care unit, she and her husband live in a bombed-out Gaza building with an insect-infested tent for a toilet.

Israel and Hamas "have both signed off" on the first phase of a White House peace proposal for Gaza, U.S. President Donald Trump said late Oct. 8 in a social media post.

The Hamas attack on Israel two years ago "was inhuman and indefensible," the Vatican secretary of state said, and Israel's two-year-long war on Gaza has had "disastrous and inhuman consequences."