A Catholic charity on Tuesday unveiled a vehicle used by the late Pope Francis during a visit to the Holy Land that has since been converted into a mobile health clinic, which Christian leaders hope will be sent to Gaza to help care for Palestinian children.
The initiative, which Francis supported before he died in April, was entrusted to the Catholic organization Caritas.
“We’re pleased that we have here a serious contribution towards the healthcare of children in Gaza,” Caritas secretary-general Alistair Dutton told a press conference in Bethlehem on Tuesday.
He noted that the mobile clinic was capable of treating around 200 children a day. The late pontiff used the vehicle during a 2014 visit to Bethlehem.
COGAT, the Israeli government agency responsible for coordinating the entry of aid into the enclave, said a request for the entry of the vehicle to Gaza was “not known” to them.
It was not immediately clear if and when the vehicle would enter Gaza.
