LONDON: British and French Foreign Ministers will travel to the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel to call for an urgent truce in the Gaza Strip and a de-escalation in any wider conflict in the region, Britain said.
The trip by France’s Stephane Sejourne and Britain’s David Lammy comes as a new round of Gaza truce talks was underway in Doha, Qatar an effort to end ten months of fighting in Gaza.
The dialogues came as Iran appeared on the point of retaliating against Israel after the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
In a statement, Lammy said that this is a dangerous moment for the region. The risk of the situation spiralling out of control is increasing and any Iranian assault would have devastating consequences for the entire region.
The British Foreign Ministry stated that France and Britain are calling for a diplomatic solution to achieve a truce in the Gaza Strip and restore peace along the Lebanese- Israeli border. Similarly, French foreign Minister Sejourne has said that it is never too late for peace and they must at all costs avoid a regional conflict, which would have terrible consequences for the entire region.
Pressure built for a Gaza truce to be agreed at talks aiming to stop the spread of a conflict that the territory’s health officials said has killed over 40,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children. Hamas leaders, some analysts and critics in Israel have acknowledged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to prolong the conflict for political gain.
Israeli media quoted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as privately telling a parliamentary committee that a captive release deal “is stalling… in part because of Israel”.
