We must do everything to return them as quickly as possible
Seven hundred days after Hamas seized 252 lives from communities near the Gaza border, Israeli President Isaac Herzog carried the weight of the remaining 48 captives — perhaps only 20 still alive — to the steps of the Vatican, asking a newly installed pope to lend the moral authority of the Holy See to their release. The meeting between Herzog and Pope Leo XIV was brief against the scale of the suffering, yet its very occurrence spoke to something enduring: that even in the most fractured moments of history, institutions reach toward one another, and the act of reaching is itself a form of hope.
- With roughly 20 of the 48 remaining hostages believed to still be alive, Herzog arrived at the Vatican on the eve of the 700th day of captivity — a deadline that was not a deadline, but felt like one.
- The conversation stretched beyond the hostages themselves, pulling in antisemitism, the fate of Christian minorities across the Middle East, and the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza — each topic a pressure point in its own right.
- Herzog pressed the Vatican to meet directly with hostage families, a request that cut through diplomatic formality and reminded everyone in the room that behind every statistic is a household waiting by a phone.
- The Vatican raised Gaza's humanitarian toll; Herzog countered with Israel's stated efforts to address it — neither side yielding, but both sides still talking, which in this region is not nothing.
- Pope Leo XIV's willingness to receive the Israeli president so early in his pontificate was read as a deliberate signal — a strengthening of Holy See-Israel ties at a moment when such signals carry unusual weight.
Isaac Herzog arrived at the Vatican on Thursday carrying a number: 700. That was how many days had passed since Hamas seized 252 Israelis and foreigners from communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 still held, only about 20 were believed to be alive. Herzog had come to ask Pope Leo XIV — newly installed in his office — to help bring them home.
The meeting moved beyond the hostage crisis. Herzog sat with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, and the conversation ranged across the region's deepest wounds: rising antisemitism, the vulnerability of religious minorities across the Middle East, the Christian communities living under pressure in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Gaza itself. Herzog asked the Vatican to meet personally with the hostages' families — a request that kept the human dimension of the crisis present even at the highest levels of diplomacy.
The Vatican raised the humanitarian toll in Gaza. Herzog acknowledged the concern and pointed to what he called Israel's "enormous efforts" to address the suffering. Neither side moved from its position, but the exchange happened — and in a region where dialogue is fragile, that mattered.
The symbolism of the meeting was not lost on either party. That Leo XIV, so early in his papacy, made time for the Israeli president was understood as a statement about the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel. Herzog said as much before he left — and before departing, he extended an invitation for the pope to visit Israel, leaving the diplomatic channel open behind him.
Isaac Herzog walked into the Vatican on Thursday carrying the weight of 700 days. The Israeli president had come to meet Pope Leo XIV, newly installed in his office, with a single urgent request: help bring home the hostages still held in Gaza.
The numbers Herzog laid before the pontiff were stark. Of the 252 Israelis and foreigners taken during Hamas's October 7 attacks on communities near the Gaza border, 48 remained captive. Of those 48, only about 20 were believed to be alive. "Tomorrow marks the 700th day since our brothers and sisters were kidnapped," Herzog told the pope. "We must do everything to return them as quickly as possible."
The meeting extended beyond the hostage crisis itself. Herzog sat with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's chief diplomat. The conversation ranged across the region's deepest fractures: the surge in antisemitism, the precarious position of religious minorities across the Middle East, the Christian communities scattered through Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Gaza itself. Herzog pressed the Vatican to meet directly with the families of the hostages—a request that underscored how personal this crisis remained, even at the highest levels of diplomacy.
The Vatican, for its part, raised the humanitarian toll in Gaza. The pontiff's office did not shy from the question. Herzog acknowledged the concern and countered that Israel had undertaken "enormous efforts" to address the suffering. It was the kind of exchange that happens in rooms like these—each side stating its position, neither side yielding ground, but the conversation itself mattering because it happened at all.
Herzog emphasized Israel's commitment to protecting religious freedom and Christian communities across the region. "I reiterated Israel's clear commitment to freedom of religion, worship and, of course, to the development and protection of Christian communities in the Holy Land," he said. He also stressed the shared responsibility of religious leaders and governments to confront antisemitism without compromise.
The symbolism of the meeting itself carried weight. Pope Leo XIV had only recently taken office. That he received the Israeli president in his office at the Vatican—that he made time for this conversation—sent a signal about the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel. "The very fact that Pope Leo XIV, who has just entered upon his term of office, receives the President of the State of Israel in his office at the Vatican is a very important statement," Herzog said. "It shows the great importance of the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel and, of course, the Jewish people."
Before leaving, Herzog toured the Vatican Archives and Library. He also extended an invitation: come to Israel. The visit was over, but the diplomatic channel remained open—a thin thread of connection in a region where such threads are rare and fragile.
Citações Notáveis
The very fact that Pope Leo XIV receives the President of the State of Israel in his office at the Vatican is a very important statement about the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel.— Israeli President Isaac Herzog
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Herzog choose this moment, this pope, to make this particular appeal?
Leo XIV had just taken office. Herzog was signaling that even a new pontiff, with fresh priorities, needed to understand that Israel's hostage crisis was not a footnote to the broader Middle East story—it was central. The timing was about establishing the relationship early.
Did the Vatican seem moved by the hostage argument, or was this more about diplomatic protocol?
Both, probably. The Vatican raised its own concerns about Gaza's humanitarian situation. That's not protocol—that's the church saying it sees suffering on multiple sides. But they still received Herzog, still listened. Diplomacy often looks like two sides stating their truths in the same room.
What about the 20 hostages believed alive? That's a devastating number. How does Herzog talk about that?
He doesn't dwell on it. He says "we must do everything to return them as quickly as possible." The urgency is there, but it's measured. He's not making an emotional plea—he's making a case for action, for the Vatican's influence, for international pressure.
The antisemitism angle—is that new, or has it been part of the hostage conversation all along?
It's woven through. Herzog frames it as a shared responsibility between faith leaders and governments. He's saying: the hostages matter, yes, but so does the safety of Jewish people everywhere. The Vatican can't separate those conversations.
What does the invitation to visit Israel actually mean?
It's an olive branch and a statement. Come see what we're protecting, what we're building. It's also a way to end the meeting on forward momentum rather than on the unresolved crisis. The conversation doesn't end here.