Pope Francis on Monday met relatives of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, marking the six-month anniversary of the attack in southern Israel with an hour-long audience.

The Vatican released photos of the encounter, showing relatives of several of the hostages sitting in a semicircle in front of Francis in his private library in the Apostolic Palace. Each one held a poster with a photo and the name of a loved one.

It was the second time Francis has met relatives of the hostages. On November 22, he met a delegation of Israelis, and then separately a delegation of Palestinians whose relatives had been harmed during the long Middle East conflict.

Francis has called for the immediate release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, and for humanitarian aid to reach desperate Palestinians urgently.

Ashley Waxman Bakshi, a relative of hostages Agah and Li-Yah Berger, said the audience was “very powerful” for the families.

“He was very clear about his solidarity for the release of the hostages,” Ms Waxman Bakshi told reporters afterwards.