Pope showing ‘improvement’ as he continues to recover in hospital
Candles and messages of healing for Pope Francis are laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where the Pope is hospitalized with pneumonia, in Rome on February 26, 2025. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
(ROME) — The Vatican press office has released a statement saying the pope had a peaceful evening of rest in hospital and is continuing his recovery in the hospital on Friday morning.
“As in recent days, the night passed peacefully and the Pope is now resting,” the Vatican said.
Officials said that Pope Francis’ condition continued to improve on Thursday, with the pontiff alternating between high-flow oxygen therapy and a ventimask, according to the Vatican.
“Given the complexity of his clinical condition, further days of clinical stability are needed to clarify the prognosis,” the Vatican said.
“For the second time, there is no mention of a critical condition,” Vatican sources told ABC News. “So we can say that we have come out of the most critical phase and we are back to what was previously described as a complex picture.”
On Thursday, the pope dedicated the morning to respiratory physiotherapy and rest. After a session of physiotherapy, in the afternoon, he gathered in prayer in the chapel of the private apartment on the 10th floor, receiving the Eucharist. The pope then dedicated himself to work activities, according to the Vatican.
“The bulletin again speaks of an improvement, a slight one, but an improvement, but the fact that the prognosis is reserved means that the doctors still have concerns,” Vatican sources told ABC News.
The pontiff, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, was diagnosed with pneumonia last week, according to the Vatican.
(WASHINGTON) — In a major development, the Pentagon on Monday announced the transfer 11 Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Oman, a move that now leaves only 15 detainees still at the detention facility.
“The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” said a DOD statement.
In recent weeks, the Pentagon had transferred out four other detainees from Guantanamo including a detainee who was brought to the detention facility at the base in Cuba the day that it opened, but was never charged.
The transfer of the 11 Yemeni detainees is the largest transfer to take place under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Of the remaining 15 detainees still at Guantanamo Bay, three are eligible for transfer; three are eligible for a Periodic Review Board; seven are involved in the military commissions process; and two detainees have been convicted and sentenced by military commissions.
Among the detainees who will remain at Guantanamo is Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attack, who on Friday will appear at a hearing at the base where he is expected to plead guilty in return for the death penalty being withdrawn. The following week, two other 9/11 plotters are expected to plead guilty under the same plea agreement.
Just last week, a military appeals court reaffirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could not withdraw the plea agreements worked out with Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi.
According to the Pentagon statement, Austn notified Congress on Sept. 15, 2023, of “his intent to repatriate these 11 Yemeni detainees to the Government of Oman and, in consultation with our partners in Oman, we completed the requirements for transfer.”
The 11 detainees identified by their name and corresponding detainee identification number are : Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman (ISN 27), Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi (ISN 28), Khalid Ahmed Qassim (ISN 242), Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi (ISN 569), Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah (ISN 841), Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani (ISN 893), Omar Mohammed Ali al-Rammah (ISN 1017), Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi (ISN 1453), Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash (ISN 1456), Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al Hajj (ISN 1457), and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah (ISN 1463).
Attorneys for Shaqawi Al Hajj, 51, said in a statement that their client was flown to Oman this week after spending nearly 21 years in the prison at Guantánamo and more than two years in CIA sites.
“Our thoughts are with Mr. Al Hajj as he transitions to the free world after almost 23 years in captivity. His release is hopeful for him and for us. We are grateful to Oman and to the individuals in the administration who made this transfer happen, and to the many people over the years whose work and advocacy paved the way for this moment,” said Pardiss Kebriaei, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who represents Al Hajj.
(KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA) — The humanitarian crisis and ongoing conflict in Gaza has left in its wake thousands of people with life-altering disabilities.
The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, coupled with Gaza’s crumbling health care infrastructure, has created what some describe as insurmountable challenges for those injured during the violence.
About 25% of the people who have sustained injuries in the conflict — an estimated 22,500 people — now require long-term rehabilitation, according to the World Health Organization. More than 106,000 people have been injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
But in Gaza, where medical resources are already stretched to the breaking point, even basic rehabilitation services remain out of reach.
Many disabled individuals face not only physical pain but also profound psychological scars and societal rejection in Gaza, international and local medical professionals said. With limited access to medical care, psychological support, and assistive devices, they are often left to navigate life with disabilities that forever alter their futures.
“In any circumstances, recovering from an extensive injury and attending physical rehabilitation takes an enormous amount of psychological strength. To do this in a conflict zone — where accessing mobility aids, appropriate transportation, or any at all, physiotherapy sessions, proper nutrition, and rest is very difficult — takes a severe toll on every individual experiencing it,” International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson Hisham Mhanna told ABC News in an interview.
In the more than a year since Israel began its retaliatory war against Hamas, the terrorist group that attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage, much of Gaza has been destroyed by airstrikes, according to the United Nations. Nearly 100 hostages remain missing in Gaza with about two-thirds believed to be alive.
About 60% of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, a U.N. agency said in September. The Strip’s hospital system has “collapsed,” a spokesperson for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, told ABC News in October. Nineteen of the 36 hospitals and nine field hospitals formerly operating in Gaza were still partially functioning, the WHO said at the time.
Ahmed Al Haw, 17, a displaced person living in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, said he is among those whose lives have been irreversibly changed. Al Haw was injured in front of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis while visiting a sick relative. His family’s trip turned into a nightmare when a bomb exploded near their car.
“My grandfather’s leg was amputated, and as the injury developed, he passed away. My mother and sister were also injured. I lost my eye and part of my foot,” Al Haw said.
For Al Haw, the aftermath of the explosion has been almost as unbearable as the injuries themselves. He has been thrust into a reality where even the simplest tasks are a struggle. The physical pain is unrelenting, but it pales in comparison to the psychological toll he endures, he said.
“At the beginning of the injury, I was in a state of depression. I didn’t eat at all. One time, I even thought about committing suicide,” he said.
Gaza’s health care system lacks the resources to adequately address the needs of the disabled, the World Health Organization said in a recent press release announcing the publication of an analysis of the medical situation in Gaza. There is a lack of medical supplies, including prosthetics, wheelchairs and essential medications to treat people with injuries that have left them disabled, the press release said. Hospitals are overwhelmed, understaffed, and under-resourced.
“Accessing proper prosthetics and mobility aids is difficult in Gaza, where there are shortages of everything, including critical medical drugs and supplies. The focus of medical staff is on saving lives, as it must be in any emergency, but this leaves gaps in the post-recovery care in many areas.” Mhanna said.
Medical aid has accounted for about 2.5% by weight of all aid that’s been brought in Gaza since the conflict began about 14 months ago, according to the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli ministry overseeing the flow of food, medical aid and other supplies into Gaza. About 28,918 tons of medical aid have crossed into the Strip, according to COGAT data.
“Israel actively and continuously operates to facilitate the increase of the medical response in Gaza,” COGAT says on its website. “This is done in close coordination with humanitarian aid organizations specializing in health services, and donor countries.”
The most common injuries medical staff see are “loss of limbs” from bombings and shrapnel, said Dr. Sami Owaimer, director of the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Unit at the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
“The most common injuries we see are the loss of limbs due to explosions and shrapnel, alongside eye injuries that lead to blindness and spinal injuries resulting in paralysis. These wounds often cause permanent deformities and profoundly alter lives,” Owaimer said.
Rehabilitation, a critical step in recovery, is virtually non-existent in Gaza. The region lacks specialized centers, modern equipment and trained professionals to provide comprehensive care. As a result, many disabled individuals are left without the tools or support needed to adapt to their new realities.
“There is a glaring lack of specialized rehabilitation centers and modern equipment, such as prosthetics and movement training devices,” Owaimer said. “Comprehensive programs that integrate physical, psychological and social services are desperately needed.”
For Al Haw, the psychological impact of his injuries is compounded by the stigma he faces from society, he said.
“Society does not accept me,” he said. “When I walk slowly on crutches, people start shouting at me, ‘Hurry up!’ One time, I fell to the ground. I cry every day. I have nightmares every night. I feel very lonely. I’ve become mentally ill in addition to being physically and visually disabled.”
The lack of psychological support exacerbates the suffering of those like Al Haw. Many patients, particularly young people, find themselves battling depression and anxiety with no professional guidance or emotional support.
“Adapting to life with a disability is a significant challenge,” Owaimer said. “While some programs offer psychological and social rehabilitation, the lack of resources limits their reach and effectiveness.”
The societal challenges faced by people with disabilities in Gaza, limited facilities, lack of accessibility and entrenched stigma leave many feeling isolated and marginalized. Al Haw described this isolation as being particularly painful. As the oldest of seven siblings, he said he feels a deep responsibility to support his family, especially with his father imprisoned in an Israeli jail.
“I’ve lost my feet and my sight, the most precious things I had. My dreams have deteriorated. I can’t support my mother and sisters. My future is completely unknown,” he said.
Despite the obstacles he faces, Al Haw keeps going, driven by his love for his family.
“Because of my family, I am struggling to continue living. I want to have a good future, to support my family in the absence of my father,” he said.
“These individuals are not just numbers — they are human beings with rights who deserve dignity, education, and proper rehabilitation,” Owaimer said.
“In the chaos of conflict, many people with disabilities are forgotten,” Mhanna, of the Red Cross, said. “But they are civilians and receive special protection under international humanitarian law. People with disabilities, and the different challenges and needs they have, must be taken into account by parties to a conflict during active hostilities.”
(LONDON) — There are early indications that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing dozens, a U.S. official told ABC News.
If these indications prove true, they would further underscore Russian recklessness in its invasion of Ukraine, the official added.
The White House referred ABC News to officials in the region as the investigation continues.
At least 38 people are dead and 29 others injured after the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft crashed near Kazakhstan’s Aktau Airport on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations told ABC News.
Many of the 29 survivors were hospitalized, including two children, the spokesperson said.
The aircraft was flying from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia when it crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, the spokesperson said. The flight had been rerouted to Aktau due to fog in Grozny, Russian news agencies reported.
The prosecutor general’s office of Azerbaijan has launched a criminal case regarding the facts of the crash, officials announced during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“Currently, the investigation process is ongoing in cooperation with the prosecutor’s office of Kazakhstan. All versions are being explored in the criminal case,” Farid Huseynov, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan Airlines, said.
Aviation authorities from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia are collaborating to determine the exact cause of the crash, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s ministry of emergency situations said.
The plane was carrying 69 people: 64 passengers and five crew members. Based on preliminary data, the passengers included 37 Azerbaijani citizens, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia, officials said.
Embraer, the aircraft manufacturer, released a statement about the crash, saying, “We are closely monitoring the situation, and we remain fully committed to supporting the relevant authorities.”
ABC News’ Dragana Jovanovic and David Brennan contributed to this report.
