Tal Shoham was freed from captivity in Gaza 505 days after Hamas militants abducted him. He said there were times during his ordeal when he didn't think he'd be alive the next morning.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Whether the threat was abusive Hamas guards, hunger, illness or Israeli strikes, there were moments during Tal Shoham’s 505 days of captivity in Gaza when he didn’t think he’d be alive the next morning.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday urged Hamas to free all hostages, saying keeping them provided Israel with "excuses" to attack Gaza, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israel

The pontiff began phoning Gaza’s Christians every day, more often on the worst days. He was still calling when failing health forced him to suspend normal activities. His conduit was Father Gabriel Romanelli, a 55-year-old priest, a compatriot from Argentina, who had been living in Gaza since 2005.

The parish priest of Gaza's only Catholic church talks about getting daily calls from Pope Francis during the Israel-Hamas conflict.