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Transcript/Scriptsrael Hamas Easter (TV)
HEADLINE: Pope Francis calls for Peace in Gaza
TEASER: On Easter Sunday, the pontiff used his platform to call for a cease-fire, increased aid, and for hostages to be released from Gaza
PUBLISHED AT: 03/31/2024
BYLINE: Arash Arabasadi
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: REUTERS/ Vatican Media/ AP/ US Air Force Handout/ Israel Defense Forces
SCRIPT EDITORS: sv, Page
VIDEO SOURCE (S): REUTERS/ Vatican Media/ AP/ US Air Force Handout/ Israel Defense Forces
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 2:29
NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
VID APPROVED BY: SV
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
[[INTRO: Pope Francis calls for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. This as Christians around the world celebrate Easter Sunday, and relief teams struggle to deliver aid to besieged Palestinian territories. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.]]
((GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING))
((VAR, EASTER CELEBRATION, VATICAN CITY, REUTERS, 03/31))
((mandatory cg Vatican Media))
((NARRATOR))
Easter Sunday in Vatican City.
Before a packed crowd at Saint Peter’s Square filled with flowers, Pope Francis delivered a message calling for peace in Gaza.
[RADIO TRACK: Francis as provided by Vatican Media and carried by Reuters.]
((REUTERS))
((mandatory cg Vatican Media))
((Pope Francis)) ((MAN, ITALIAN))
“I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be ensured in Gaza and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on October seventh and for an
immediate cease-fire in the Strip. Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population…and above all the children.”
((VAR, SHIPS, LARNACA, CYP, AP, 03/30))
((NARRATOR))
Calls for aid to Gaza have recently taken shape, as a convoy of ships left a port in Cyprus Saturday carrying some 400 tons of food and other relief supplies.
World Central Kitchen says the crafts carried ready-to-eat staples like rice, pasta, flour, canned vegetables, and proteins; enough to prepare more than 1 million meals.
((LOADING PLANE, AL-UDEID AIR BASE, QAT, AP, 03/29))
((AID DROP, FROM AIR, GAZA STRIP, AP, 03/29))
((mandatory cg US Air Force Handout))
((NARRATOR))
The United Nations warns that famine could strike northern Gaza as early as this month.
The United States military, along with regional partners, continues delivering relief in the form of air-dropped pallets filled with food and water.
((PALLETS DROPPING FROM SKY, FROM S. ISR, GAZA, AP, 03/31))
((NARRATOR))
But the deliveries can be spotty at times without any organized distribution method on land.
((VAR, AIRSTRIKES FROM AIR, GAZA, AP, 03/31))
((mandatory cg Israel Defense Forces))
((NARRATOR))
Israel declared war on Hamas following an October seventh surprise attack by the militant group in which it killed 12-hundred and kidnapped more than 250.
((VAR, AIRSTRIKE AFTERMATH, DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA, REUTERS, 03/31))
((NARRATOR))
Israel has since placed a stranglehold on the entire region, pummeling civilian infrastructure and restricting the flow of aid. Health officials in Gaza say more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed.
The United Nations International Court of Justice issued two provisional measures in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, a charge Israel flatly denies.
((VAR, ANTI-GOV DEMOS, TEL AVIV, ISR, AP, 03/30))
((NARRATOR))
But for many Israelis, an ongoing war isn’t the answer, as they took to the streets demanding their government sign a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in exchange for hostages still held by the group Western powers identify as a terror organization.
((EASTER SERVICE, JERUSALEM, ISR, AP, 03/31))
((NARRATOR))
On Sunday, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem – widely considered the most holy site in Christianity – the archbishop held Easter Mass in a church emptier than years past… as since October seventh, Palestinian worshippers need special permission to cross checkpoints into Jerusalem.
Arash Arabasadi, VOA News.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 31, 2024 14:21 EDT
Byline
Arash Arabasadi, VOA News
Washington D.C.
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
