A vehicle used by the late Pope Francis during a visit to Bethlehem in Israel more than a decade ago has been transformed into a mobile health clinic Christian leaders hope will soon be used to provide care to Palestinian children in Gaza.

The initiative was blessed by Francis before he died in April and was entrusted to the Catholic organisation Caritas, which oversaw the project to convert the vehicle unveiled on Tuesday.

“We’re pleased we have a serious contribution towards the healthcare of children in Gaza,” Caritas secretary-general Alistair Dutton told a press conference in Bethlehem.

Francis used the vehicle, a converted Mitsubishi pick-up donated by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, during his visit to Bethlehem in 2014.

NOT CLEAR WHEN MOBILE CLINIC CAN ENTER GAZA

The open platform at the back of the vehicle, where the pope stood while he travelled through Bethlehem, has been enclosed and converted into the children’s treatment area.

“The vehicle stands as a testimony that the world has not forgotten the children of Gaza,” said Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, who had approached Francis before his death about Caritas’ idea of converting the former popemobile into a mobile paediatric clinic.

Caritas Sweden secretary-general Peter Brune said the mobile clinic was capable of treating about 200 children a day.

However, it was unclear when the vehicle would enter Gaza, where a ceasefire formally holds despite frequent Israeli airstrikes on the territory battered by two years of war.

“As soon as we possibly can,” Dutton said, declining to comment further.

Cogat, the Israeli government agency responsible for co-ordinating the entry of aid into the enclave, declined to comment when asked about the request.

Father Ibrahim Faltas said he hoped the vehicle would be moved to Gaza in the “near future”, telling Reuters the popemobile-turned-clinic was ready to help children in Gaza.

AT LEAST 67 CHILDREN KILLED SINCE CEASEFIRE

The UN children’s agency Unicef said on Friday at least 67 children have been killed in what it called conflict-related incidents since the ceasefire went into effect.

The Israeli military said it was targeting militants who have posed a threat to its soldiers occupying half of Gaza.

Francis frequently spoke out about the war in Gaza and in January called the humanitarian situation there “shameful“. He also called for the release of the hostages taken captive by Palestinian militants, met their relatives and condemned the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war.

He was known to speak by phone with Gaza’s small Christian community every night during the war.

“We know how much Pope Francis loved the people of the Holy Land, the people of Bethlehem and especially the people of Gaza,” said Father Faltas, representative of the Franciscan Friars to the State of Palestine.

Reuters