Israel’s Vatican envoy declares Gaza war ended, all surviving hostages home. Credits Trump, Popes Francis & Leo XIV for deal.
Newsroom (31/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) Nearly two years after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people and sparked the Gaza war, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See declared the conflict effectively over and every surviving hostage returned home.
Yaron Sideman delivered the assessment Oct. 23 at a commemorative ceremony hosted by the Israeli Embassy to the Vatican. The event drew diplomats, clergy and relatives of former captives.
“The agreement that brought back all the remaining hostages and effectively ended the war would not have been possible without Israel’s pressure on Hamas, without the leadership and commitment of President Donald Trump — and it was also made possible through the powerful prayers and gestures of unity by Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV,” Sideman said.
The remarks marked a rare public acknowledgment by an Israeli official of Vatican diplomatic influence in the resolution.
Pope Francis met hostage families three times and, in his Sept. 15, 2024, Angelus address, named Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of six hostages later found dead in Gaza.
“By giving names and faces to those suffering, the Pope made sure their humanity was never forgotten,” Sideman said. He described both pontiffs as “moral beacons” whose appeals sustained global attention when public interest waned.
Sideman tempered optimism with caution. The bodies of deceased hostages still remain in Gaza.
“We will not rest until each of them is returned to their families for a proper burial,” he said.
He outlined Israel’s conditions for lasting peace: full demilitarization of Gaza and Hamas disarmament.
“Only then can we be certain that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel,” Sideman said. “But it is equally vital that we offer hope and a better future to the people of Gaza themselves — once freed from the tyranny of Hamas.”
The ambassador invoked national unity in Israel, where hundreds of thousands rallied in city squares for two years to demand the hostages’ release.
“Despite all that divides us, we remain deeply connected to one another,” he said. “That sense of shared humanity has been our greatest source of strength.”
Sideman concluded that the same spirit would guide reconstruction after what he called “the abyss of the October 7 tragedy.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Zenit
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