Pope John Paul II has condemned what he called the "vile attack" in Hebron on Friday in which 12 people were killed.
He issued a fresh appeal for a peaceful solution to the conflict. "I wish to express my shared pain with the families of those who, last Friday, were victims of a vile attack in Hebron, in the Holy Land," the Pontiff told pilgrims in St. Peter's Square before his Angelus address.
Palestinian gunmen ambushed the group on Friday evening, killing 12 soldiers and security men.
The Pope condemned the ambush which came as "people had just finished praying, just a few steps away from the tomb that we recognise as our shared father in the faith, Patriarch Abraham."
"I pray to the Lord to instil in all the necessary courage to find the path to justice and peace," said the 82-year-old Pontiff.