Pope’s Former Vehicle to Serve as Gaza Mobile Clinic

A popemobile used by the late Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem will be converted into a mobile health clinic for Gaza’s children, fulfilling his “final wish” before his death last month, BBC reported. The initiative, led by charity Caritas Jerusalem, aims to provide frontline medical care in the war-torn enclave once Israel reopens humanitarian corridors. The refitted vehicle will carry rapid-test kits, sutures, vaccines, oxygen supplies, and a medicine fridge, with doctors onboard to treat injuries and malnutrition among Gaza’s displaced youth.

The project underscores the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where UNICEF reports over 15,000 child deaths and nearly one million displacements since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. Israel’s blockade has severely restricted aid, leaving families without food, clean water, or medical supplies. Caritas emphasized the symbolic significance of repurposing the popemobile: “It’s a message that the world hasn’t forgotten Gaza’s children,” said Caritas Sweden’s Peter Brune.

Pope Francis had repeatedly condemned Gaza’s “shameful” conditions, urging ceasefires and nightly checking on parishioners during the conflict. Meanwhile, Israel’s security cabinet approved a controversial plan to resume aid via private companies, which the UN rejected as violating humanitarian principles. The clinic’s deployment hinges on Israel permitting aid access—a prospect still uncertain amid ongoing hostilities.