VATICAN CITY: A popemobile previously used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land is being repurposed into a mobile health clinic dedicated to children in the Gaza Strip.

This initiative is part of the late pontiff's final wishes, as highlighted by the Vatican's official media outlet on Sunday.

The vehicle will be equipped with vital diagnostic and emergency medical equipment, aimed at assisting young patients in Gaza, where health services have suffered severe setbacks due to ongoing conflict and humanitarian crises.

Pope Francis, who passed away last month, had entrusted the Catholic aid organization Caritas Jerusalem with this initiative in the lead-up to his death.

Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, emphasized the critical nature of this project, stating, "This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed."

The mobile health clinic will be outfitted with various medical supplies, including rapid infection tests, vaccines, diagnostic tools, and suture kits.

Medical personnel will staff the unit, which aims to reach communities in Gaza that currently lack access to effective health care facilities, subject to the feasibility of humanitarian access to the region.

Brune further noted the significance of the initiative, saying, "It’s not just a vehicle; it’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza." The Christian community in Gaza is small, and Vatican sources reported that Pope Francis maintained frequent contact with the Holy Family Church in the region, calling upon it daily during the conflict that escalated in October 2023, following attacks by Hamas militants on southern Israel.

This particular popemobile, part of a collection owned by the late pontiff, has remained in the region since its use in 2014. Preparations for a conclave to elect a new pope are scheduled to commence on May 7.