PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for an end to fighting in Gaza, saying France was giving “full support” to mediation efforts in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The war in Gaza must stop,” Macron wrote on X. “This must be clear to everyone.”
An end to hostilities was “crucial for the people of Gaza, for the hostages and for the stability of the region that is at stake today.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza on August 15 at the request of US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have tried to broker a second ceasefire in the 10-month-old war, which was sparked by an unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
The three countries called on the warring parties to resume talks in Doha or Cairo to “close all remaining gaps and start implementing the agreement without further delay”.
Macron also spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Friday, his office said.
The three leaders called on all parties to “end at all costs this logic of retaliation that risks igniting the region to the detriment of all,” a statement from the Elysee Palace said.
The statement called for an “immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow the release of all hostages, the protection of the people of Gaza and the provision of massive humanitarian aid”.
Macron also “welcomed the diplomatic efforts led by Egypt and Qatar in conjunction with the United States,” the three mediating countries, his office added.
Macron also discussed the crisis with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the two leaders “expressed their deepest concern at the growing tensions in the region,” the Elysee Palace said.
Macron and Starmer backed statements by the United States, Egypt and Qatar calling for a swift resumption of ceasefire talks and the release of hostages, Macron's office added.
