WASHINGTON – The White House confirmed that US President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to discuss calming tensions in the Middle East and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The leaders of the five countries said in a joint statement issued by the White House on Monday that they support a call by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
Biden proposed a three-phase ceasefire during a speech on May 31. Washington and mediators in the region have been trying since then to reach a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of the hostages, but they have faced repeated obstacles.
The statement added that the countries “emphasized that there is no more time to waste.”
The statement expressed support for Israel in the face of any Iranian threat and urged the distribution and delivery of aid in Gaza.
Egypt, the United States and Qatar set Thursday as the date for a new round of ceasefire negotiations.
The risk of a wider war in the Middle East has increased after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, prompting Tehran to vow revenge.
“We called on Iran to stop its continued threats to launch a military attack on Israel and discussed the dire consequences for security in the region if such an attack occurred,” the statement added.
The latest wave of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted on October 7 when Palestinian militant groups attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
The Gaza Health Ministry says the military campaign launched by Israel following that attack has since killed about 40,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all of the population of 2.3 million.
The military campaign also caused a hunger crisis and accusations before the International Court of Justice that Israel was committing genocide, which Israel denies.
Reuters
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2024-08-13 14:10:29
