L to R: Pope Francis prays during a general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 20. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, patriarch of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, celebrates Easter Sunday Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 4, 2021.
A series of rocket attacks and incursions on Israel from Hamas militants began early on the morning of Oct. 7, the start of the observance of the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah.