Interior min. meets cardinal who offered himself for hostage children

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel met with Jerusalem's Latin patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa on Tuesday to discuss Israel's hostages in Gaza who were abducted by Hamas.

The meeting was held at the initiative of the Religious Denominations Department in the Interior Ministry and saw Arbel explain to Pizzaballa Israel's standing in the war against Hamas.

The interior minister asked Pizzaballa to help advance an urgent visit of the Red Cross in Gaza to give the families of the hostages real information on their wellbeing.

He also asked the cardinal to help arrange a delegation of members of all faiths in Israel to see Pope Francis to help advance the release of the hostages.

Pizzaballa, in turn, thanked Arbel for the update and told him he was praying for better days and peace among all faiths.

A war between light and darkness

"Swords of Iron is a war between light and darkness," said Arbel. "This isn't a religious war. Far from it. Members of all faiths condemn the cruel murder committed by Hamas. I am grateful for the meeting and the willingness to work for the sake of the hostages."

Earlier this month, Pizzaballa offered to trade himself for the abducted children during a press conference with Italian journalists. He did, however, say that his office had not contacted Hamas.

"You can't talk to Hamas. It is very difficult," he said.