French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called today for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end violence in Gaza which has left nearly 600 Palestinians dead.
"In Israel and in Gaza, the situation is very hard," Fabius said as he arrived for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers.
"Nothing justifies continued attacks and massacres which do nothing but only claim more victims and stoke tensions, hatred," he said.
"France will act forcefully to demand an immediate ceasefire," he added.
French President Francois Hollande said yesterday that everything should be down to bring a halt to the fighting, now entering a third week.
World powers have urged Hamas to accept an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire and stop raining rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, demands it has so far resisted.
