• Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
• Their meeting highlighted the urgent necessity for immediate aid in Gaza.
• Both leaders reaffirmed commitment to a two-state solution to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Pope Leo XIV met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican for their first in-person discussion, focusing on the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the necessity for a two-state solution to end the conflict. The meeting lasted about an hour and was described as “cordial” in a Vatican statement, occurring nearly a month after the enactment of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, following intensified hostilities triggered by Hamas' attacks on October 7, 2023, according to CBS News, Africanews, and LA Times.

During the meeting, both leaders recognized the “urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza” and affirmed the importance of pursuing a two-state solution as a viable path to peace. This ongoing advocacy from the Vatican reflects a broader reality where the two-state solution remains a cornerstone of international diplomacy, but faces skepticism on the ground, particularly among both Israelis and Palestinians, as noted by sources including CBS News and LA Times.

Abbas' visit also commemorated the 10th anniversary of the "Comprehensive Agreement" signed in 2015 between the Holy See and Palestine, which recognized Palestinian statehood—a significant gesture amid growing international support for such recognition. Abbas expressed a willingness from the Palestinian Authority to administer Gaza post-conflict, although Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has dismissed this prospect, favoring other territorial claims, according to Africanews and LA Times.