French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged nations to "work towards a ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as he hosted a conference on humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory, reports RFI.
Israel is not attending the event, which welcomes officials from more than 50 countries as well as UN agencies and NGOs.
"In the immediate term, we need to work on protecting civilians. To do that, we need a humanitarian pause very quickly and we must work towards a ceasefire," Macron told delegates.
Israel had the right to defend itself, Macron said, but added it also had an “eminent responsibility of abiding by law” as it responds to Hamas’s deadly 7 October attack.
Civilians in Gaza are “paying the price” of the Israel-Hamas war, Macron said, adding that the population “has to be protected”.