Macron and Abbas urge Gaza truce as Hamas demands guarantees
On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly called for an "urgent" ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas stated it is ready to release all hostages if it receives assurances that Israel will end the war.
Since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in mid-March, Israel has launched an intense military offensive in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people have since been displaced and Israel has blocked the entry of humanitarian aid, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
In a phone call, Abbas and Macron "emphasised the urgent need for a ceasefire, the acceleration of humanitarian aid delivery (and) the rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land," the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
"Both leaders reiterated the necessity of advancing a two-state solution based on international legitimacy", and for the Palestinian Authority to take responsibility in the Gaza Strip after the war ends, it added.
Macron, following his conversation with Abbas, said on X that "France is fully mobilised for the liberation of all hostages, a return to a durable ceasefire and immediate access for humanitarian aid into Gaza".
He also advocated "reform" of the Palestinian Authority as part of a plan that would see the Ramallah-based body, which currently has partial administrative control in the occupied West Bank, govern a post-war Gaza without Hamas.
"It is essential to set a framework for the day after: disarm and sideline Hamas, define credible governance and reform the Palestinian Authority," Macron said.
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