Popemobile to be turned into mobile health unit to treat the children of Gaza

Before his heart-breaking death, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a mobile health unit to serve the children of Gaza, officials said on Monday, May 5. 

The Jerusalem and Sweden branches of the Vatican’s Caritas charitable federation released photos of the repurposed vehicle, however it is yet to be confirmed when it will be put to use. 

The donation was announced on the same day that Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time.

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“When the humanitarian corridor to Gaza reopens, (the popemobile) will be ready to give primary healthcare to children in Gaza,” Caritas Jerusalem said in a statement.

The vehicle will be outfitted with equipment for diagnosis, examination and treatment, with Caritas confirming it would have testing equipment, suture kits, syringes and needles, oxygen supply, vaccines and a refrigerator.

“This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis,” said the Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem, Anton Asfar, in a statement.

During Israel’s war in Gaza, Francis became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli military’s harsh tactics while also demanding the return of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. Last year, he urged an investigation into whether Israel’s war amounted to genocide -– a charge Israel vehemently denies.

Francis repeatedly spoke out about the plight of people in Gaza and had a nightly ritual, that he even maintained while in hospital, where he would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping. This came before his unfortunate death on April 21 at the age of 88-years-old.