The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is urging Catholics around the world to pray for “peace and justice” as violence continues in the Holy Land.
More than 200 people have been killed in the latest round of violence, which has seen Hamas militants launch rocket attacks from Gaza, while Israel has conducted air and artillery strikes on targets inside the strip.
The fighting broke out earlier this month, after weeks of escalating tension between Israelis and Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. There were clashes at al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount -- a site holy to both Muslims and Jews. Hamas warned Israel to withdraw from the site, and then began rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Israel retaliated, with air strikes.
