Amid attempts to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, let’s not forget the plight of the people

Freed Palestinian prisoners wave from a bus as they arrive in the Gaza Strip after being released from an Israeli prison this month. AP

A post recurring on my Instagram feed over the past few months holds an important lesson for us all. It is one of Pope Francis speaking on the phone to Father Gabriel Romanelli, of the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza. The Pontiff has tried to keep in touch with Father Romanelli almost every night since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, so much so that he called even when he was first admitted to the hospital earlier this month.

Pope Francis’s humanity stands in stark contrast to almost any other news coming out of Gaza. In recent weeks, Hamas has been releasing Israeli hostages but in a way that imbues negativity. The bungled return of the body of Shiri Bibas, a mother of two young children – when the wrong remains were handed over – was nothing short of depravity.

The Pope’s example also contrasts with the overall situation in Gaza, an area where the death toll runs in the tens of thousands, and which is likely to be blighted for years by the legacy of this war (should the ceasefire stick). Gaza’s terrible state has allowed for Washington to push for a forced relocation of the territory’s residents, egged on by Israel’s hardliners.

If the negotiations in the early weeks of 2025 can truly deliver two ceasefires that prove sustainable, not just in Gaza but also in Ukraine, we need to be informed by the plight of the people most affected by the unwinding of the conflicts.

Despite being subjected to knee-jerk criticism, Pope Francis has maintained a distinctive voice throughout the duration of both wars. He has asked all his fellow Catholics to pray daily for those who are trying to end these wars through diplomatic means.

On Monday, he described the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine as a marker of a painful and shameful occasion for all of humanity. At the same time, he also called for the powers that be to prioritise their efforts in stopping the loss of more lives. And he has repeatedly called for prisoners of war to be released.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis late last year, asking for help in securing the release of his compatriots held captive by Russia. According to both sides, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Pope’s special envoy, was even engaged on the issue. In parallel, a UAE-brokered effort saw 400 prisoners swapped by both sides around the turn of the year.

It is a sad fact of life that people, including civilians, will be captured during wartime. I spent some time last week reading a book on the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which deal with the humane treatment of those captured in conflicts.

Drawing on the lessons of the Second World War, it was clear from the readout of the discussions at the time that there was a desire to fix responsibility on humanitarian concerns and shift away from solely defining these issues around states. The term “detaining power” used by the Conventions identifies the responsibilities of military authorities, who hold and manage prisoners of war, and their obligations to treat them according to the principles of the accords.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pays his respects at the graves of soldiers at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv. AFP

While humanitarian organisations were introduced into the framework at that point, the Conventions make clear that it is this “detaining power” that bears all responsibility.

In 1998, many survivors of the Japanese-run Second World War internment camps came together to turn their backs on then emperor Akihito who was visiting the UK. The protest was organised to drive home the point that the Japanese wartime government’s treatment of captives was so barbaric, that “it is difficult to understand the human psyche of the people who carried it out, ordered it or condoned it”. Indeed, the treatment of those who were held in those camps was cruel and sadistic.

Emperor Akihito was of course from the post-war generation. His father, the wartime emperor Hirohito, had died more than a decade earlier. And by the time Akihito ascended to the throne, Japan had become a deep and generous ally of the UK, investing in car plants and advanced manufacturing. Nonetheless, he acknowledged the protest at the state banquet. “Our hearts are filled with deep sorrow and pain,” he said.

Unfortunately, human rights violations continue in today’s conflicts as well. So it is small wonder that Mr Zelenskyy has highlighted the plight of his compatriots, even as US President Donald Trump pushes for talks between Washington and Moscow to end the conflict. Speaking on the issue of wartime prisoners, the Ukrainian leader on Monday said: “Ukraine is ready to exchange all for all, and this is a fair way to start.”

As important as the territorial dimension is of any conflict, there is no doubt that the human element matters both now and in the future. Our focus, therefore, should always be on the people who bore the brunt of war and of its unwinding – be it by way of a ceasefire, armistice or surrender.