VATICAN CITY, Holy See (AFP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday praised the “significant progress” towards peace in Gaza, again calling for a ceasefire in the devastated Palestinian territory and the release of Israeli hostages.

His remarks join a chorus of diplomatic statements following the Islamist group Hamas’s positive response to United States (US) President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war.

“In recent hours… significant progress has been made in peace negotiations, which I hope will lead to the desired outcomes as soon as possible,” the American pontiff said as he concluded a mass at the Vatican.

“I call on all responsible individuals to commit to this path, to a ceasefire and to the release of hostages” in order to achieve “a just and lasting peace,” he added.

The head of the Catholic church also voiced concern about “the rise of antisemitic hatred in the world”, which he said was “tragically illustrated by the Manchester terrorist attack”, referring to the attack on a synagogue on Thursday that killed two people and seriously injured three more.

He also said he was “deeply saddened by the immense suffering endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza”.