The Vatican has said late Pope Francis requested that his popemobile, the very vehicle from which he waved and was close to millions of faithful all around the world, be transformed into a mobile health unit for the children of Gaza.

It was his final wish for the people to whom he had shown such solidarity throughout his pontificate, especially in the last years. And in his final months, the Pope entrusted the initiative to Caritas Jerusalem, seeking to respond to the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where nearly one million children have been displaced. Amid the horrific war, collapsed infrastructure, a mutilated healthcare system and lack of education, children are the first to pay the price, with starvation, infections and other preventable conditions putting their lives at risk.

Pope Francis often stated that “Children are not numbers. They are faces. Names. Stories. And each one is sacred”, and with this final gift, his words have become action.

The repurposed popemobile is being outfitted with equipment for diagnosis, examination, and treatment – including rapid tests for infections, diagnostic instruments, vaccines, suture kits, and other life-saving supplies. It will be staffed by doctors and medics, reaching children in the most isolated corners of Gaza once humanitarian access to the strip is restored.

In a press release, Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, wrote that “with the vehicle, we will be able to reach children who today have no access to health care – children who are injured and malnourished”.

“This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed”, he added.

Caritas Jerusalem, which has long served Gaza’s communities under difficult conditions, is leading the on-the-ground effort. With over one hundred staff members committed to healthcare delivery, the organisation is now building on the Pope’s legacy of compassion and strength whilst bringing his final blessing to the people of Gaza.

“This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis,” said Anton Asfar, Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem.

In photos released from the project, the vehicle appears to have been carefully adapted to fit the needs of those most in need.

But “it’s not just a vehicle,” Brune said. “It’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza.” And it is also an invitation: that the rest of the world remember, too.