Today, Dec. 21, the Pope received the families of four Israeli boy victims of Hamas, accompanied by Israel’s Ambassador to the Holy See.

“It is so difficult to console a mother’s cry,” the Pope told those present. The pontiff also pledged his help.

Of the four boys, two were killed and their bodies have not been returned to their families; the other two have not been heard from.

Hamas continues to deny responsibility. The Embassy of Israel to the Holy See recounts in a press release the Pope’s meeting with the families involved and the stories of these boys, some of them still hostages.

Since 2014, in full violation of international law, Hamas has been holding hostage the bodies of two Israeli soldiers and two civilians who are still alive, denying its responsibilities, preventing access to Red Cross representatives and forbidding the families any kind of information and contact with their loved ones.