Pope Francis was 'faithful friend' of Palestinians: Abbas
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas paid tribute to Pope Francis, who died Monday at 88, calling him a friend of Palestinians, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
"Today, we lost a faithful friend of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights," Abbas said, adding that Francis "recognised the Palestinian state and authorised the Palestinian flag to be raised in the Vatican".
Bassem Naim, a senior official from Hamas, the Islamist militant group which runs Gaza -- a separate Palestinian territory -- hailed the pope's opposition to the 18-month-long war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
"Pope Francis was a steadfast advocate for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly in his unwavering stance against the war and acts of genocide perpetrated against our people in Gaza in recent months," Naim said in a statement.
Francis spoke of the war in Gaza a day before he died.
He said a "growing climate of anti-Semitism around the world is worrisome," while also condemning the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in Gaza and reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
The comments came during the pope's traditional Easter address, delivered by a collaborator as Francis sat in his wheelchair at the balcony of St Peter's Basilica in Rome on Sunday.
In a statement paying tribute to Francis, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said his "voice in condemning Israeli brutality was loud and clear until the very last moment".
Aboul Gheit said Francis's "compass on the Palestinian issue always pointed in the right direction", and recalled "his daily communication with the residents of Gaza as they endured brutal Israeli aggression and bombardment, through hundreds of direct calls over the past months".