Middle East: Germany, France, UK demand 'urgent' cease-fire

A joint statement from the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom on Monday called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages and the prevention of further escalation, especially on the part of Iran and its allies.

"The fighting must end now, and all hostages still detained by Hamas must be released," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

The three leaders, all considered major supporters of Israel, called on Iran and its allies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, "to refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions and jeopardize the opportunity to agree to a cease-fire and the release of hostages."

Cease-fire calls amid rising tensions

The 10-month-long conflict has seen repeated calls for cease-fire negotiations, but the only success so far has been a one-week truce agreed back in November.

Monday's renewed call comes after a deadly Israeli airstrike killed more than 90 people sheltering in a school that had been set up as a refuge for displaced people.

Almost 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the conflict, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Meanwhile, fears that the conflict may erupt into an all-out regional war continue unabated.

The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital, Tehran, at the end of July was followed by comments from Iran vowing to respond to what it called an Israeli attack.

In response, the US has pledged to bolster Israel's defenses, with reports that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided-missile submarine to the region and told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly.

Scholz, Macron and Starmer warned that whoever escalates the conflict "will bear responsibility for actions that jeopardize this opportunity for peace and stability. No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East."

Separately, Scholz later made a direct appeal in a phone call to new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to prevent further military escalation.

"The spiral of violence in the Middle East must now be broken; anything else would pose an incalculable risk to the countries and people in the region," Scholz was quoted by his chancellery as saying in the call.

What is the Gaza cease-fire plan?

The statement praised the "tireless" work of Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators who have been working to bring Israel and Hamas to the negotiation table.

A proposal pushed by US President Joe Biden laid out a plan to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners with the long-term aim of rebuilding Gaza.

"The people of Gaza need urgent and unfettered delivery and distribution of aid," the statement said. "There can be no further delay."

This most recent surge of violence in Gaza followed attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants in southern Israel that left around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, dead. A further 251 people were taken hostage, with some 111 still in Gaza, including dozens believed to already be dead.

Hamas is designated as a terror organization by Israel, the US and Germany, among others.

Israel is being tried at the International Court of Justice over claims that its operations in Gaza amount to genocide, but a decision will likely take years.

ab/nm (AFP, dpa)