U.S. President Joe Biden spoke on Monday to the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. to discuss de-escalating tensions in the Middle East and a cease-fire in Gaza, the White House said.
In a joint statement released by the White House on Monday, the leaders of all five countries said they endorsed a call from the United States, Qatar and Egypt to renew talks for a Gaza cease-fire to conclude a deal as soon as possible.
U.S. President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase cease-fire proposal in an address on May 31. Washington and regional mediators have since tried arranging the Gaza cease-fire-for-hostages deal but have run into repeated obstacles.
Egypt, the U.S. and Qatar have scheduled a new round of cease-fire negotiations for Thursday.
Monday's joint statement stressed that "there is no further time to lose." It also expressed support for Israel against any Iranian threats while urging the distribution and delivery of aid to Gaza.
The recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut have increased the risk of a broader Middle East war, drawing threats of retaliation against Israel.
"We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place," the joint statement from the U.S. and its European allies added on Monday.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has since killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while also displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to charges of genocide against Israel at the World Court.
