Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem – the top Catholic authority in the Holy Land – issued a statement on Thursday celebrating the news that the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas had agreed to accept an agreement to end its war with Israel brokered by President Donald Trump.
Trump announced on Wednesday evening that the government of Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization had agreed to the first phase of the 20-point peace plan the White House proposed, which would require Hamas to free all hostages in exchange for an immediate end to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity against Hamas in Gaza. The news fell a day after the second anniversary of the Hamas slaughter of an estimated 1,200 innocents in Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing war.
On October 7, Hamas jihadists took over 200 people hostage. After various killings and prisoner swaps, authorities believe that 47 of those remain in Gaza as hostages, with less than half of them, about 20, still alive.
Cardinal Pizzaballa, who has been an active advocate for peace in the region and offered himself in exchange for the hostages shortly after the attacks, celebrated the pathway visible to an end for the war. He described himself as waking up to “the wonderful news of the agreement” and suggested the conclusion of the negotiations would take a lot of time and effort, but encouraged parties involved to celebrate getting to this point.
“It is good news, and we are very happy,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said in a message published by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He added some caution to the optimism, noting that “surely there will be other obstacles.”
“But now we have to rejoice about this important step that will bring a little more trust for the future and also bring new hope, especially to the people, both Israeli and Palestinians,” he asserted, calling the deal “something new and different.”
“We know that the road ahead is still long. There will be many obstacles; it will not be easy. But it was a necessary first step that brings an atmosphere of trust and even a smile to many families, both in Israel and Palestine, and especially in Gaza,” Cardinal Pizzaballa asserted.
“We are happy and we hope that this is just the beginning of a new phase where we can, little by little, start thinking not about war, but about how to rebuild after the war,” he concluded.
The Patriarchate’s official statement applauded “all those who have been involved in the negotiation,” thanking them for achieving a path to peace. The statement concluded calling for Catholics to participate in a Day of Prayer for Peace scheduled for October 11.
Cardinal Pizzaballa, as the most senior Catholic leader based in the region, has been closely involved in efforts to help civilians caught in the crossfire of the war. His jurisdiction covers Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, as well as Jordan and the island of Cyprus. A week after the October 7 attacks, Cardinal Pizzaballa publicly declared his intent to offer himself in exchange for the Israeli hostages to Hamas.
“I am ready for an exchange, anything, if this can lead to freedom, to bring the children home. No problem. There is total willingness on my part,” he said at the time. “The first thing to do is to try to win the release of the hostages, otherwise there will be no way of stopping (an escalation). We are willing to help, even me personally.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa visited Gaza City in July to pray with victims of the bombing of the Holy Family Church, which the government of Israel ultimately apologized for, that killed three people and damaged the church compound.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III and the highest-ranking Catholic official in the Middle East, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa inspect damage during their to visit the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, Gaza on July 18, 2025, a day after it was targeted by an Israeli strike. (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The bombing prompted Pope Leo XIV to issue a statement demanding “an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
Like Cardinal Pizzaballa, Pope Leo expressed optimism about President Trump’s proposed agreement last week, when the White House debuted it.
“We hope they accept it; so far it seems a realistic proposal,” Pope Leo told reporters. “We hope Hamas accepts within the established timeframe.”
The 20-point plan presented by the White House requires all hostages to be returned to freedom within 72 hours, raising expectations that the hostages will be freed this weekend. Reports indicate that President Trump may personally travel to Israel for the occasion. Trump himself said he would “likely” stop in Israel this weekend to help with the signing of the agreement.
In exchange, the agreement reads, “once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023.” The agreement also allowed for, in the future, amnesty for Hamas terrorists who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons.” In the long-term, the agreement envisions the creation of a leadership board for Gaza to replace the Hamas jihadist government and the transition to a functional and representative state body.
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