PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, saying France would give its “full” support to mediating the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The war in Gaza must stop,” Macron wrote on X. “This must be clear to everyone.”
Ending the fighting is important “for the people of Gaza, for the hostages and for the stability of the region, which is currently at risk,”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Thursday that Israel had agreed to resume ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip on August 15 at the request of mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt are trying to reach a second truce in a 10-month war that began with an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The three countries invited the warring parties to resume talks in Doha or Cairo “to close all remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without further delay”.
Macron also spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday and met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Friday, his office said.
The three leaders called on all parties to “decisively end any counter-action that risks sparking a firestorm in the region and having negative consequences for everyone,” a statement from the Elysee Palace said.
The statement called for “an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to release all hostages, protect the Gaza people and deliver widespread humanitarian assistance.”
Macron also “welcomes the diplomatic efforts led by Egypt and Qatar, together with the United States,” the three mediators, his office added.
Macron also discussed the crisis with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, and the two leaders “expressed deep concern over the escalating tensions in the region,” the Elysee Palace said.
Macron and Starmer backed statements from the United States, Egypt and Qatar calling for a quick resumption of ceasefire talks and the release of hostages, Macron's office added.
