France, Jordan, Egypt FMs call for ‘permanent’ Gaza ceasefire
The French, Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers called Saturday for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and the release of all hostages held by Palestinian group Hamas. Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo, France’s top diplomat Stephane Sejourne said his government would put forward a draft resolution at the UN Security Council setting out a “political” settlement of the war. He said the text would include “all the criteria for a two-state solution” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the peace blueprint long championed by the international community but opposed by the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Monday, the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire” in Hamas-run Gaza, where the health ministry says the death toll has reached 32,705, most of them women and children. The war started when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israe