Welivego

Pope Francis said, "I hope that everything will be done to prevent the conflict from getting worse."

In an attempt to alleviate the "very grave" situation, Pope Francis on Sunday made an urgent appeal for an end to the fighting in Gaza and called for aid for the injured as well as humanitarian supplies.

"The dire circumstances in Palestine and Israel, where a great number of people have perished, never leave my thoughts. Following his weekly Angelus prayer, he addressed the throngs of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, saying, "I pray for you to stop in the name of God, cease the fire."

"I hope that all will be done to avoid the conflict from widening, that the injured will be rescued, and aid will reach the population of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very grave," he said.

More than 9,770 Palestinians have died as a result of the conflict, which started when Hamas gunmen carried out an unexpected onslaught on southern Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping over 240 more, according to a Gaza health official's assessment on Sunday.

The victims of the earthquake in Nepal, the refugees from Afghanistan, and the people impacted by the floods in Italy were all included in the Pope's prayers.