France calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Amman, July 20: France Saturday called for truce between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement amid surging violence and number of casualties in Gaza.

At a press conference held here along with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh, French Foregin Minister Laurent Fabius, who is on a visit to Jordan, called for an immediate ceasefire between the two sides, adding that his country and the wider European Union can play a role in helping reach a permanent truce, Xinhua reported.

He said his visit to the region aims at ending the cycle of violence so that civilians can be protected, adding that the priority at this stage is to reach a ceasefire.

For his part, the Jordanian foreign minister slammed Israel's aerial attacks against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, saying the escalated aggression will lead to growing violence in the Middle East.

He also noted that political talks were the key to ending such violence.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged their views over the situation in Syria and Iraq.

IANS