Pope Francis this Sunday condemned the many “obstacles” to world peace, including the new spiral of violence in the Middle East, in his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing after Easter Mass.

Before some 100,000 worshipers gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the Argentine pope expressed “deep concern” over the new wave of tensions in the Middle East, which threatens “dialogue” between Israelis and Palestinians.

The violence that took place this week in Jerusalem and the region “threatens the desired climate of trust and mutual respect needed to resume dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians,” the 86-year-old pope said.

His statements come days after Israeli police’s violent crackdown at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday.

The expulsion of Palestinian believers during religious holidays sparked a wave of condemnations and a new spiral of violence in the region.

The latest episode of this escalation of violence took place this Sunday. The Israeli army announced it had attacked Syria in response to rocket fire on the annexed Golan Heights, following several days of similar attacks from neighboring Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

During his blessing, Francis also referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and urged comfort to “the wounded” and those who “lost their loved ones to the war”.

He then called on the international community to “put an end to this war and to all the conflicts that bleed the world.”

Francis referred to some 20 countries, including Syria and Turkey, that suffered devastating earthquakes in February that left more than 56,000 dead.

He also mentioned Haiti, which “has been experiencing a serious socio-political and humanitarian crisis for several years” and acknowledged the efforts of the international community to find a solution to the “problems plaguing this population”.

Similarly, he referred to Nicaragua when he sent a message to the “Christian communities” that celebrate Easter “in special circumstances” and reminded “those who are prevented from freely and publicly professing their faith.”

The pope, whose health is increasingly fragile and confined to a wheelchair due to knee pain, also presided over Easter Mass before touring the square in his Popemobile.

On Saturday night, he led the Easter Vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for two and a half hours, in the presence of some 8,000 people.

Francisco was hospitalized for three days last week for bronchitis.