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The full order of service for the funeral of Pope Francis has been released by the Vatican.

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend Saturday’s ceremony in St Peter’s Square, including some 130 delegations.

The service usually lasts about two-and-a-half hours and is mostly conducted in Latin.

Read more: Inside the plans for Pope Francis’s funeral

It is being led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who will begin with a procession led by a priest carrying a cross, followed by the coffin and ordained clergy.

Francis will then be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – or Saint Mary Major – rather than at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, like almost all his predecessors.

Watch full coverage of the Pope’s funeral live on Sky News from 8am.

Order of service

Entrance antiphon

The ceremony will begin with the entrance antiphon – one or more psalm verses or sentences from Holy Scripture which are typically sung or spoken.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Praise is due to you in Sion, O God.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presides over the Easter Vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 19, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
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Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will oversee the Pope’s funeral ceremony. Pic: Reuters

To you we pay our vows in Jerusalem.

You who hear our prayer. To you all flesh will come.

Our evil deeds are too heavy for us, but only you can pardon our transgressions.

Blessed the one whom you choose and call to dwell in your courts.

We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you.

And with your spirit.

Pope Francis' body is carried in a coffin into Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 23, 2025.
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Pope Francis’s body being transferred to St Peter’s Basilica. Pic: Reuters

The Penitential Act

This follows the welcome and is a way for the faithful to confess their sinfulness.

Brethren, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

Collect – opening prayer

Let us pray.

O God, immortal shepherd of souls, look on your people’s prayers and grant that our servant Pope Francis, who presided over your Church in charity, may, with the flock entrusted to his care, receive from your mercy the reward of a faithful steward.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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Where will Pope Francis be buried?

The Liturgy of the Word

First reading – from the Acts of the Apostles

He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

In those days: Peter opened his mouth and said:

‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all – you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and caused him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis sits in between nuns on the day of a weekly general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
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Pope Francis sits in between nuns in February. Pic: Reuters

Responsorial Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me; he revives my soul.

He guides me along the right path, for the sake of his name.

Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, no evil would I fear, for you are with me.

Your crook and your staff will give me comfort.

You have prepared a table before me in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for length of days unending.

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The pope who loved football

Second Reading – from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians

He will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.

Brothers and sisters, our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await for, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Acclamation before the Gospel

This is the will of my Father, says the Lord, everyone who believes in the Son should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Pic: AP
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Pope Francis lying in state. Pic: AP

Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

When Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’

He said to him: ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’

He said to him a second time: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you’.

He said to him: ‘Tend my sheep.’

He said to him the third time: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him: ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’

Jesus said to him: ‘Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go (this he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God).’

And after saying this he said to him: ‘Follow me.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

People in Westminster Cathedral in Victoria, London, following the announcement by the Vatican of the death of Pope Francis aged 88. Issue date: Monday April 21, 2025.
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People in Westminster Cathedral in London mark Pope Francis’s death. Pic: Reuters

Homily

Universal Prayer or Prayer of the Faithful

Brothers and sisters, let us pray to God our Father, who today brings us together to commemorate the Paschal Mystery of his only-begotten Son as we celebrate the funeral of the pastor of the universal Church.

May he welcome him into his peace and bestow every blessing upon the Church and the whole world.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the late Pope Francis, that the chief shepherd, who eternally lives to intercede for us, may welcome him into his kingdom of light and peace.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the holy Church of God, that in fidelity to her mandate, she may be, in Christ, a leaven of renewal in our human family.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the souls of the deceased Roman pontiffs and of all those who in the Church proclaimed the Gospel and exercised the priestly ministry, that they may come to share in the heavenly liturgy.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

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For all the faithful departed, that they may be granted entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For us gathered here, that having celebrated the sacred mysteries, we may one day be called by Christ to enter his glorious kingdom.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

God, our salvation, hear us as we make our prayer in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints: welcome into the assembly of your elect the soul of your servant and our Pope Francis, who put his trust in the prayer of the Church.

Through Christ our Lord.

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Cardinal anticipates ‘intimidating’ first conclave

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Offertory Chant

The offertory chant accompanies the procession that brings the bread and wine to the altar.

Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death; lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him’.

Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Prayer over the offerings

Look with favour, we pray, O Lord, on the peaceful offering of your people, with which we confidently commit to your mercy the soul of your servant Pope Francis, and grant, we pray, that, having been, in the midst of the human family, an instrument of your charity and peace, he may merit to delight in the same, for ever with all your Saints.

Through Christ our Lord.

Eucharistic Prayer III

Preface

The hope of resurrection in Christ

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

A nun reacts as she pays respect to Pope Francis inside St. Peter's Basilica, as Pope Francis lies in state, at the Vatican, April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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A nun pays respect to Pope Francis. Pic: Reuters

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our lord.

In him the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned, that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come.

Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.

And so, with angels and archangels, with thrones and dominions, and with all the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

You are indeed holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.

Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the body and blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis waves at the end of the Palm Sunday mass at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo
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Pope Francis with crowds back in 2016. Pic: Reuters

For on the night he was betrayed he himself took bread, and giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:

‘Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.’

In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and giving you thanks, he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:

‘Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

‘Do this in memory of me.’

The mystery of faith.

Pope Francis' body is carried in a coffin
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Pope Francis’s body is carried in a coffin through St Peter’s Square

We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again.

Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving passion of your Son, his wondrous resurrection and ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.

Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognising the sacrificial victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the body and blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become on body, one spirit in Christ.

May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her spouse, with your blessed apostles and glorious martyrs, and with all the saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help.

May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world.

Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on Earth, with the order of bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own.

Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world.

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis opens the Holy Door to mark the opening of the Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, December 8, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
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Pope Francis opens the Holy Door to mark the opening of the Catholic Holy Year in 2015. Pic: Reuters

Remember your servant Pope Francis whom you have called from this world to yourself.

Grant that he who was united with your Son in a death like his, may also be one with him in his resurrection, when from the Earth he will raise up in the flesh those who have died, and transform our lowly body after the pattern of his own glorious body.

To our departed brothers and sisters, too, and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom.

There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory, when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

For seeing you, our God, as you are we shall be like you for all the ages and praise you without end, through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.

Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever.

Members of the Swiss Guard stand next to the coffin containing Pope Francis' body, on the day of the translation of his body, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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Members of the Swiss Guard stand next to the pope’s coffin. Pic: Reuters

The Communion Rite

At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant our peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will.

Who live and reign for ever and ever.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Pope Francis tours St. Peter's Square in his popemobile after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, a day before he died. Pic: Reuters

Communion Antiphon

Let perpetual light shine upon him, with your Saints for ever, for you are merciful.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

LORD, hear my voice!

O let your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.

If you O LORD, should mark iniquities, LORD, who could stand?

But with you is found forgiveness, that you may be revered.

I long for you, O LORD, my soul longs for his word.

My soul awaits the LORD more than watchmen for daybreak.

More than watchmen for daybreak, let Israel hope for the LORD.

For with the LORD there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption

It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.

My soul is thirsting for God, the living God; when can I enter and appear before the face of God?

My tears have become my bread, by night, by day, as I hear it said all the day long: ‘Where is your God?’

Nuns wait on the day of the translation of Pope Francis' body and its transfer to Saint Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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Nuns outside St Peter’s Basilica. Pic: Reuters

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray.

As we come to the table of your eternal banquet, we humbly beg your mercy, Lord, for the soul of your departed servant Pope Francis, that he may rejoice at last in possession of the truth in which he faithfully confirmed your people.

Through Christ our Lord.

Pope Francis arrives for a special audience with members of the dioceses of Cassano allo Jonio, southern Italy, at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/L' Osservatore Romano, pool)
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Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2015. Pic: AP


Final commendation and farewell

Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters, let us commend to God’s tender mercy the soul of Pope Francis, bishop of the Catholic

Church, who confirmed his brothers and sisters in the faith of the resurrection.

Let us pray to God our Father through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit; may he deliver him from death, welcome him to eternal peace and raise up him on the last day.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, queen of apostles and protectress of the Roman people, may God reveal to our Pope the face of his beloved Son and console the Church with the light of the resurrection.

Cardinals pay their respects to Pope Francis inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, where his body will lie in state for three days. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, Pool)
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Cardinals pay their respects. Pic: AP

Prayer of the Church in Rome

Holy Mary,

Pray for him.

Holy Mother of God…

Mother of the Church…

Protectress of the Roman people…

The cardinal will then list all holy angels, patriarchs and prophets, apostles and evangelists, disciples, pontiffs and holy men and women, which he asks the congregation to pray for.

O God, faithful rewarder of souls, grant that your departed servant and our bishop, Pope Francis, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of your Church, may happily enjoy for ever in your presence in heaven the mysteries of your grace and compassion, which he faithfully ministered on Earth.

Through Christ our Lord.

23 April 2025, Vatican, Vatikanstadt: The faithful process past the open coffin of the late Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Francis died at the age of 88 and will be buried on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Photo by: Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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People queue to see Pope Francis lying in state. Pic: AP

Prayer of the Eastern Churches

God of our salvation, grant rest to the soul of your servant.

Lover of mankind, lead him, with the souls of the just, to the blessings of eternal life in your presence.

Guide the soul of your servant to the place of your rest, Lord, where your Saints repose, you who alone are immortal.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

You are our Saviour, our God, who descended into hell and freed those imprisoned there from its pains; now grant repose to the soul of your servant.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.

Amen.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, most pure and immaculate, who without loss to her virginity became the Mother of God, pray for the salvation of the soul of your servant.

Have mercy on us, O God, in your great kindness; we beseech you, hear us and be merciful.

Lord, have mercy.

Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of this departed servant of God, Francis, bishop, that he may be forgiven his every sin and failing.

Lord, have mercy.

May the Lord God lead his soul to the resting place of the righteous.

Let us ask Christ, our immortal king and God, to bestow on him the divine mercy, the kingdom of heaven, and the forgiveness of his sins.

Hear us, Lord.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

The body of Pope Francis is carried into St. Peters Basilica for three days of lying in state, in Vatican City, 23 April 2025. ALESSANDRO DI MEO/Pool via REUTERS
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The body of Pope Francis is carried into St. Peters Basilica. Pic: Reuters

God of souls and of all flesh, who trampled death underfoot, vanquished the devil and gave life to the world, grant repose to the soul of your departed servant Francis, bishop, in a place of light and joy, a verdant place, a place of blessedness, where suffering, pain and sorrow are no more.

Forgive every sin he committed in thought, word or deed, for you are a gracious God and a friend to mankind.

No one who lives is without sin; you alone are sinless, your righteousness is eternal and your word is truth.

For you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your servant Francis, bishop, who has fallen asleep.

We give you glory, with your eternal Father and your Holy Spirit, who is gracious and the giver of life, now and forever.

Amen.

May your remembrance be eternal, dear brother, worthy of blessedness, never to be forgotten.

Amen.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, left, prays in front of the body of Pope Francis laid out in state inside his private chapel at the Vatican, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)
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The Pope’s body in a private chapel before being moved to St Peter’s Basilica. Pic: AP

Responsory

A responsory is an anthem said or sung by a choir.

I know that my redeemer lives: on the last day I shall rise again.

And in my flesh I shall see God my saviour.

I shall see him myself, face to face and my own eyes shall behold him.

And in my flesh I shall see God my saviour.

Within my heart this hope I cherish:

That in my flesh I shall see God my saviour.

Gracious Father, we commend to your mercy our Pope Francis whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of the Church, a fearless preacher of your word and a faithful minister of the divine mysteries.

Welcome him, we pray, into your heavenly dwelling place, to enjoy eternal glory with all your chosen ones.

We give you thanks, Lord, for all the blessings that in your goodness you bestowed upon him for the good of your people.

Grant us the comfort of faith and the strength of hope.

To you Father, source of life, through Christ, the conqueror of death, in the life-giving Spirit, be all honour and glory for ever and ever.

An aerial view from a Carabinieri helicopter shows crowds queueing to enter St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, to pay respects as Pope Francis lies in state, as seen from Rome, Italy April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Vincenzo Livieri TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Crowds queueing to enter St Peter’s Basilica a day before the Pope’s funeral. Pic: Reuters

Antiphons

May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come and welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.

May choirs of angels welcome you and with Lazarus, who is poor no longer, may you have eternal rest.

Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Luke 1:46-55

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

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World

‘The drones are always there… like a punishment’: A diary of daily life in Gaza

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'The drones are always there... like a punishment': A diary of daily life in Gaza

“We call drones our loyal friends, because they never leave us.”

Tasneem hears Israeli drones overhead, a constant fact of life in Gaza. It gets into your head, into your chest, she says.

“You can’t think, you can’t sleep. You can’t even be.”

“It’s always there, hanging above our heads, like some kind of punishment,” she says. In the background, the slow, constant buzz of a drone is audible.

“The people here in Gaza know that when the drone gets very low, at this level, something will happen. We all know what that something is… I don’t want to mention it.”

Tasneem al Iwini shared voicenotes with Sky News
Image:
Tasneem al Iwini shared voicenotes with Sky News

Tasneem al Iwini is 24. Like her peers across the world, she splits her time between work, studying for a master’s degree and spending time with her family of six.

Except she also has to deal with warplanes screaming overhead, rocketing food prices and the possibility that any day could be the last for her or her loved ones as Israel continues its war in Gaza.

To give a sense of what day-to-day life is like for her in Deir al Balah, Tasneem recorded a series of audio diary entries over the course of a week as part of her work with ActionAid and shared them exclusively with Sky News.

Smoke rises over Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Smoke rises over Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters

Day One: At least I’m still breathing

It’s incredibly hot today, Tasneem says. The kind of heat that makes your skin heavy and your thoughts slower.

I had so many things to do on my plate today, but honestly, I couldn’t move.

There’s no electricity and no fans, no air conditioner. So here I am just laying on my mattress and sweating.

My only relief is my plastic tray. I’m just using it as my personal fan…

I keep waving it back and forth, not to cool the room, but just to trick my brain into thinking I have control over this heat.

Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine I’m somewhere cold, as I actually prefer winter.

But then I hear the buzz of flies and mosquitoes in my ear and I remember this is Gaza, summer 2025. It’s exhausting, but at least I’m still breathing.

Day Two: Rocketing price of food

It’s Friday, which is a special day for us as it is the day we usually wait to cook something special. Today we are cooking maqluba (a traditional dish consisting of meat, rice and fried vegetables).

We haven’t tasted any kind of real protein like meat, chicken or fish for more than three months. I really miss chicken and fish badly.

But even this fake maqluba costs a lot, so many families can’t afford it… vegetables are very expensive.

Tasneem prepares meals with what she can get. Pic: Tasneem/ActionAid
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Tasneem prepares meals with what she can get. Pic: Tasneem/ActionAid

Before the war we used to cook maqluba with at least four kilos of eggplants, because we are crazy about eggplants and its taste in maqluba . Now, if we manage to cook it with only two eggplants, that’s considered a luxury.

The price of one kilo of eggplant is more than 45 shekels. That’s approximately $12.50. Talking about tomatoes, the price is more than 90 shekels, which is approximately $27 per kilo.

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Day Three: The drone reality

Here we go again. Our dear friend, the drone, Tasneem says as a buzzing noise hums in the background.

It just never leaves. It’s always there hanging above our heads like some kind of punishment.

The sound, I don’t even know how to describe it.

It’s not just noise. It gets into your head, into your chest. You can’t think, you can’t sleep, you can’t even be.

It drains something inside you slowly, and yet we live with it every day.

Later on:

Hi again. I’m just recording the gunfire. We are not sure what is happening outside, actually.

I can say that this is almost an every afternoon routine.

Tasneem al Iwini speaking about conditions in Gaza
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Tasneem al Iwini speaking about conditions in Gaza

Day Four: A message to the world

Today I came across a small community kitchen, one of the very few still functioning.

Because of the current situation, especially the scarcity of food and the near-total blockade on the humanitarian aid, most of these kitchens have shut down…

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
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Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters

Tasneem says that just after she left the office, the community kitchen was hit in an Israeli strike.

Three youths were killed, and many children were injured.

Those children were playing around and nearby the kitchen…

This time I went to send a message to the world, with a heavy heart burdened by the challenges and the impossible conditions we live under.

I still hold on to hope that this war will end… Because honestly, here in Gaza, we have lost trust in the world, governments and every actor.

Day Five: How many children must die?

Good evening, dear friends. I don’t really know what to say. I feel like my heart is just a drain.

Yesterday I promised to take you through the rest of my day, but honestly, I came home feeling exhausted…

I bought just two cucumbers, and that cost me $8. Yes, $8 for two cucumbers.

This is what it means to say that even the basics have become impossible to get in Gaza.

I came home, washed the cucumbers and cut them into small pieces so all of us could taste what it feels like to eat cucumber.

Tomatoes are even worse. They are completely unaffordable in the market.

Palestinians gather at an aid distribution centre. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Palestinians gather at an aid distribution centre. Pic: Reuters

And every time I think about the situation we are living through here in Gaza, I feel like I’m out of patience. I just can’t take more.

How many of us have to die before the world decides to intervene? And how many children must die, not from bombing or shelling, but from starvation and malnutrition?

Today, the telecommunications company in Gaza announced that in the next 24 hours it is expected that internet services will shut down again because of the fuel shortage and because of the occupation, who continue to block fuel from entering the Strip.

And this does not mean losing the internet only. It means patients in the ICUs will lose connection to life. It means ambulances, fridges for medications and blood, even water pumps for both drinking and domestic use will stop working.

I was planning today to come home and study for my final exams, but I just sat there for a moment thinking about our reality.

And I couldn’t, I couldn’t do anything. So instead, I decided to record this for you. This is what Gaza looks like right now.

Day Seven: The cemetery is full… and the horror of jets overhead

There are many types of weapons being used… and here in Gaza, we the people have learned to genuinely distinguish between them.

We know each sound by heart.

For example, we know the sound of the F-16 (fighter jet) very well. We can even guess when it has a target.

It has a special tone, like it’s rushing towards something. There is a tension in the air, and we feel it in our bodies.

Whenever I hear one of them, I swear I feel like this is the last moment of my life. I cover my ears with both hands and run to stay nearby my family, because in this moment my heart tells me, if something happens, let it happen to all of us together.

I know that’s not how it works, but that’s how I cope. That’s the only way I feel some false sense of control…

Sometimes it feels like the pilot is showing off, flying lower over the heads of women, children and civilians, as if to say: “Look at me. I can do this.”

Every time the jets go low, I start praying, I do everything I can as if it is the end of my life.

A Palestinian boy walks amid debris after strikes in Deir al Balah. Pic: AP
Image:
A Palestinian boy walks amid debris after strikes in Deir al Balah. Pic: AP

In another voicenote from the same day, Tasneem talked about her walk to work.

I pass by the cemetery every day. Today, I saw a situation that truly broke my heart.

There was a group of angry people gathered around the person who is responsible for digging graves.

They were shouting, saying the cemetery is completely full, and now they have started opening all the graves without knowing who is buried there and without getting any consent from the families of the dead.

They are placing new dead bodies on the top of the old ones, whether they are men, women or children.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘Many people here prefer death over displacement’

Most people were furious, and honestly, I was so disappointed and heartbroken when I saw this.

This is one of those things I wish I never had to witness, but I wanted to share it with you, because it says so much about how bad things have become.

‘Critical moment’ for Gaza

Tasneem works with the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza and has partnered with ActionAid in the UK.

A spokesperson for ActionAid UK said: “Humanitarian workers like Tasneem are risking their lives every day to support and advocate for their fellow Palestinians in Gaza, despite experiencing the same intolerable conditions that they are.

“Just imagine having to go to work when you haven’t had a proper meal in days, knowing that at any moment you could be killed by bombing: that is their daily reality. Yet still, people like Tasneem are bravely speaking out and telling their stories so that the world knows the truth about the horrors they are facing…

“This is a critical moment. It’s time for the world to take meaningful action and use every diplomatic lever available to bring about a permanent ceasefire and end the siege on Gaza immediately so that food and other aid can enter unhindered, rapidly and at scale.”

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‘The drones are always there… like some sort of punishment’: Woman’s diary of daily life in Gaza

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'The drones are always there... like a punishment': A diary of daily life in Gaza

“We call drones our loyal friends, because they never leave us.”

Tasneem hears Israeli drones overhead, a constant fact of life in Gaza. It gets into your head, into your chest, she says.

“You can’t think, you can’t sleep. You can’t even be.”

“It’s always there, hanging above our heads, like some kind of punishment,” she says. In the background, the slow, constant buzz of a drone is audible.

“The people here in Gaza know that when the drone gets very low, at this level, something will happen. We all know what that something is… I don’t want to mention it.”

Tasneem al Iwini shared voicenotes with Sky News
Image:
Tasneem al Iwini shared voicenotes with Sky News

Tasneem al Iwini is 24. Like her peers across the world, she splits her time between work, studying for a master’s degree and spending time with her family of six.

Except she also has to deal with warplanes screaming overhead, rocketing food prices and the possibility that any day could be the last for her or her loved ones as Israel continues its war in Gaza.

To give a sense of what day-to-day life is like for her in Deir al Balah, Tasneem recorded a series of audio diary entries over the course of a week as part of her work with ActionAid and shared them exclusively with Sky News.

Smoke rises over Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Smoke rises over Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters

Day One: At least I’m still breathing

It’s incredibly hot today, Tasneem says. The kind of heat that makes your skin heavy and your thoughts slower.

I had so many things to do on my plate today, but honestly, I couldn’t move.

There’s no electricity and no fans, no air conditioner. So here I am just laying on my mattress and sweating.

My only relief is my plastic tray. I’m just using it as my personal fan…

I keep waving it back and forth, not to cool the room, but just to trick my brain into thinking I have control over this heat.

Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine I’m somewhere cold, as I actually prefer winter.

But then I hear the buzz of flies and mosquitoes in my ear and I remember this is Gaza, summer 2025. It’s exhausting, but at least I’m still breathing.

Day Two: Rocketing price of food

It’s Friday, which is a special day for us as it is the day we usually wait to cook something special. Today we are cooking maqluba (a traditional dish consisting of meat, rice and fried vegetables).

We haven’t tasted any kind of real protein like meat, chicken or fish for more than three months. I really miss chicken and fish badly.

But even this fake maqluba costs a lot, so many families can’t afford it… vegetables are very expensive.

Tasneem prepares meals with what she can get. Pic: Tasneem/ActionAid
Image:
Tasneem prepares meals with what she can get. Pic: Tasneem/ActionAid

Before the war we used to cook maqluba with at least four kilos of eggplants, because we are crazy about eggplants and its taste in maqluba . Now, if we manage to cook it with only two eggplants, that’s considered a luxury.

The price of one kilo of eggplant is more than 45 shekels. That’s approximately $12.50. Talking about tomatoes, the price is more than 90 shekels, which is approximately $27 per kilo.

Read more:
Number of dead in Gaza ‘reaches 63,000’ – as Israel declares city a combat zone
Israeli protesters attack ‘tyrant’ Netanyahu
Five journalists among 20 killed in Israeli strikes on hospital

Day Three: The drone reality

Here we go again. Our dear friend, the drone, Tasneem says as a buzzing noise hums in the background.

It just never leaves. It’s always there hanging above our heads like some kind of punishment.

The sound, I don’t even know how to describe it.

It’s not just noise. It gets into your head, into your chest. You can’t think, you can’t sleep, you can’t even be.

It drains something inside you slowly, and yet we live with it every day.

Later on:

Hi again. I’m just recording the gunfire. We are not sure what is happening outside, actually.

I can say that this is almost an every afternoon routine.

Tasneem al Iwini speaking about conditions in Gaza
Image:
Tasneem al Iwini speaking about conditions in Gaza

Day Four: A message to the world

Today I came across a small community kitchen, one of the very few still functioning.

Because of the current situation, especially the scarcity of food and the near-total blockade on the humanitarian aid, most of these kitchens have shut down…

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters

Tasneem says that just after she left the office, the community kitchen was hit in an Israeli strike.

Three youths were killed, and many children were injured.

Those children were playing around and nearby the kitchen…

This time I went to send a message to the world, with a heavy heart burdened by the challenges and the impossible conditions we live under.

I still hold on to hope that this war will end… Because honestly, here in Gaza, we have lost trust in the world, governments and every actor.

Day Five: How many children must die?

Good evening, dear friends. I don’t really know what to say. I feel like my heart is just a drain.

Yesterday I promised to take you through the rest of my day, but honestly, I came home feeling exhausted…

I bought just two cucumbers, and that cost me $8. Yes, $8 for two cucumbers.

This is what it means to say that even the basics have become impossible to get in Gaza.

I came home, washed the cucumbers and cut them into small pieces so all of us could taste what it feels like to eat cucumber.

Tomatoes are even worse. They are completely unaffordable in the market.

Palestinians gather at an aid distribution centre. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Palestinians gather at an aid distribution centre. Pic: Reuters

And every time I think about the situation we are living through here in Gaza, I feel like I’m out of patience. I just can’t take more.

How many of us have to die before the world decides to intervene? And how many children must die, not from bombing or shelling, but from starvation and malnutrition?

Today, the telecommunications company in Gaza announced that in the next 24 hours it is expected that internet services will shut down again because of the fuel shortage and because of the occupation, who continue to block fuel from entering the Strip.

And this does not mean losing the internet only. It means patients in the ICUs will lose connection to life. It means ambulances, fridges for medications and blood, even water pumps for both drinking and domestic use will stop working.

I was planning today to come home and study for my final exams, but I just sat there for a moment thinking about our reality.

And I couldn’t, I couldn’t do anything. So instead, I decided to record this for you. This is what Gaza looks like right now.

Day Seven: The cemetery is full… and the horror of jets overhead

There are many types of weapons being used… and here in Gaza, we the people have learned to genuinely distinguish between them.

We know each sound by heart.

For example, we know the sound of the F-16 (fighter jet) very well. We can even guess when it has a target.

It has a special tone, like it’s rushing towards something. There is a tension in the air, and we feel it in our bodies.

Whenever I hear one of them, I swear I feel like this is the last moment of my life. I cover my ears with both hands and run to stay nearby my family, because in this moment my heart tells me, if something happens, let it happen to all of us together.

I know that’s not how it works, but that’s how I cope. That’s the only way I feel some false sense of control…

Sometimes it feels like the pilot is showing off, flying lower over the heads of women, children and civilians, as if to say: “Look at me. I can do this.”

Every time the jets go low, I start praying, I do everything I can as if it is the end of my life.

A Palestinian boy walks amid debris after strikes in Deir al Balah. Pic: AP
Image:
A Palestinian boy walks amid debris after strikes in Deir al Balah. Pic: AP

In another voicenote from the same day, Tasneem talked about her walk to work.

I pass by the cemetery every day. Today, I saw a situation that truly broke my heart.

There was a group of angry people gathered around the person who is responsible for digging graves.

They were shouting, saying the cemetery is completely full, and now they have started opening all the graves without knowing who is buried there and without getting any consent from the families of the dead.

They are placing new dead bodies on the top of the old ones, whether they are men, women or children.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘Many people here prefer death over displacement’

Most people were furious, and honestly, I was so disappointed and heartbroken when I saw this.

This is one of those things I wish I never had to witness, but I wanted to share it with you, because it says so much about how bad things have become.

‘Critical moment’ for Gaza

Tasneem works with the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza and has partnered with ActionAid in the UK.

A spokesperson for ActionAid UK said: “Humanitarian workers like Tasneem are risking their lives every day to support and advocate for their fellow Palestinians in Gaza, despite experiencing the same intolerable conditions that they are.

“Just imagine having to go to work when you haven’t had a proper meal in days, knowing that at any moment you could be killed by bombing: that is their daily reality. Yet still, people like Tasneem are bravely speaking out and telling their stories so that the world knows the truth about the horrors they are facing…

“This is a critical moment. It’s time for the world to take meaningful action and use every diplomatic lever available to bring about a permanent ceasefire and end the siege on Gaza immediately so that food and other aid can enter unhindered, rapidly and at scale.”

Continue Reading

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Number of dead in Gaza reaches 63,000, health ministry says – as Israel declares city a combat zone

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Number of dead in Gaza reaches 63,000, health ministry says - as Israel declares city a combat zone

More than 63,000 Palestinians have now reportedly been killed during Israel’s war in Gaza, a figure likely to rise after the IDF declared Gaza City a combat zone on Friday.

The number of people killed, reported by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, follows nearly 23 months of war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing ahead with his plan to militarily occupy the Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas and returning the remaining Israeli hostages.

A mourner during the funeral of Palestinians killed while trying to receive aid. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A mourner during the funeral of Palestinians killed while trying to receive aid. Pic: Reuters

Israel on Friday claimed the city was a Hamas stronghold and alleged that a network of tunnels remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians to flee south, calling evacuation of the city “inevitable”.

But the head of the Red Cross warned it would be impossible to keep people safe during such a mass evacuation.

Many people in Gaza City would not be able to follow evacuation orders because they are starving, sick or injured, Mirjana Spoljaric said.

Palestinians are being urged to flee Gaza City by the Israeli military. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Palestinians are being urged to flee Gaza City by the Israeli military. Pic: Reuters

International humanitarian law requires Israel to ensure civilians have access to shelter, safety and nutrition,
when evacuation orders are issued.

“These conditions cannot currently be met in Gaza. This makes any evacuation not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances,” Ms Spoljaric added.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had targeted Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, in a strike on Gaza City, according to Israeli media.

And Mr Netanyahu later said the body of hostage Idan Shtivi was retrieved from Gaza.

Read more:
UN staff pressure human rights chief to call Gaza a genocide
Tony Blair meets with Trump to discuss future of Gaza

A Palestinian child waits to receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A Palestinian child waits to receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters

Four people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Saturday while trying to get aid in central Gaza, according to health officials at Awda hospital, where the bodies were brought.

Their deaths join the almost 1,900 people who the UN say have been killed while seeking food since 27 May, including more than 1,000 killed in the vicinity of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites.

“Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military,” a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Thameen Al-Kheetan said.

Israel has previously blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians at aid sites.

The conflict began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which saw around 1,200 people killed and about 250 people taken hostage.

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