VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Sunday renewed his call for an end to the Hamas-Israel conflict, urging the release of hostages and humanitarian aid for Gaza, describing the situation as “very serious.”

“I continue to think about the serious situation in Palestine and in Israel where many people have lost their lives,” he said after the traditional Angelus prayer at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome.

“I beg you in the name of God to stop, cease fire,” he said.

“I hope all the possibilities are being explored so that a widening of the conflict is absolutely avoided, that the wounded can be helped, and that aid can reach Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very serious, and that the hostages be immediately released.”

The pope has previously pleaded for an end to the conflict and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip. He spoke to US President Joe Biden last month about “conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace,” according to the Vatican.

Also on Sunday, the European Commission condemned the jump in anti-Semitism across the EU since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, saying “European Jews today are again living in fear.”

“The spike of antisemitic incidents across Europe has reached extraordinary levels in the last few days, reminiscent of some of the darkest times in history,” the commission said in a statement.

“We condemn these despicable acts in the strongest possible terms. They go against everything that Europe stands for,” it said.