In a video message published by the Vatican News website, Romanelli explained that the building houses some 450 people displaced by the military attacks.

He said that Pope Leo XIV contacted him by phone after the Israeli evacuation orders: “We explained to him that we are fine, although the situation remains difficult. The Pope gave us his blessing and prayed for us and for peace. He is following everything closely and is committed to working to end the war,” he said.

The priest stated that most of the city’s inhabitants, the most populated in the coastal enclave, do not want to flee south because “Danger lurks everywhere, but many want to stay in the city. We try to accompany them and help them in every way possible.”

At the end of last month, the Greek and Latin Orthodox Patriarchates of Jerusalem called on the world to stop the aggression against the territory and warned of the consequences of the offensive against the city.

They also announced that their religious leaders in the city decided to remain in their churches, following Israel’s decision to reoccupy the city and expel its inhabitants to the southern region.

They noted that many of the refugees there suffer from hunger and malnutrition due to the harsh living conditions resulting from the aggression and blockade imposed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

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