Here is the question and answer portion for the Top 5 candidates of Miss Grand International 2023.

• Peru wins Miss Grand International 2023; PH makes early exit

The finalists were asked to answer a question related to the Israel-Hamas war: "If you have the chance to speak to one of the leaders, which one would you choose to speak to and what would you say to them in order to improve the situation?"

MARIA ALEJANDRA LOPEZ OF COLOMBIA (SECOND RUNNER-UP)

"I would first love to ask the leader of Israel to recognize Palestine as an official state. Everyone deserves to be recognized. Then I would talk to the leader of Hamas because I do not think it is the civilians, or the people in Israel or Palestine -- it is the terrorists that are doing horrible things to humanity through this territory. It is not Israel or Palestine. We cannot continue to divide people. I would like to ask the leader of Hamas what he has in his heart, what he has in his mind. What happened to him, why is he so cruel? Because I studied humanitarian engineering and I am passionate about psychology. I do believe that everything has a reason to be, and I would like to hear them first and tell them to stop the war. I would also like to ask everyone here for a minute of silence for all of the victims from Israel and Palestine because both have been attacked. Thank you."

LUCIANA FUSTER OF PERU (MISS GRAND INTERNATIONAL 2023)

"Nowadays we live in constant conflict and sadly, war is something that is difficult to solve. So I would talk to the Israel president and ask him to take care of all his nation. Because no one deserves to live in hurt. There are a lot of people dying day by day and all the news are horrible. So if we didn't change our minds... we can never be a good society, a great society. So please release the hostages. Thank you."

STHEPHANIE MARIE OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (THIRD RUNNER-UP)

"I would love to have both leaders in one room. I would love to ask them why, and if they can settle it on their own without hurting innocent lives. But since I do have to choose one leader, I would choose the leader of Palestine. There is no reason any human being should be living in almost a holocaust, controlled and with not enough water. As humans, we need to love with compassion. And as a leader I would educate him on that terms. A leader doesn't hurt, a leader doesn't use violence as his voice. A leader loves, respects, and honors his people. Thank you."

NI NI LIN EAIN OF MYANMAR (FIRST RUNNER-UP)

"The war between Israel and Palestine is really huge. If I have the chance to speak to one person, I will have to talk to Israel, because that war depends on both Israel and Palestine. The people of both Israel and Palestine are experiencing fear, instability, and losing innocent lives. I would love to tell Israel and Palestine to stop the war. And I would love to say to the United Nations to take action and find a peaceful solution. And together we can create a middle ground to coexist. We are humans, we shouldn't do crimes against humanity. So I would love to say that we should create a middle ground to coexist together. Thank you."

LE HOANG PHUONG OF VIETNAM (FOURTH RUNNER-UP)

"To Hamas, my heart goes out to the children because children are the future of the world. And I am also an ambassador for children in my country. Because the children in my country love peace, too. We are humans, we are equal, no one deserves to suffer the pain of war. And everyone deserves to live in peace. Let's stop hurting each other, stop the war and violence. Thank you."