| Ten days into the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic efforts to end the violence gained urgency on Wednesday amid growing calls from international parties for the Israeli military and Hamas to stop the fighting. EU foreign ministers called for an immediate cease-fire in an emergency meeting on Tuesday, according to the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles. All EU member states, except Hungary, backed a statement that condemned rocket attacks by Hamas and supported Israel’s right to self-defense while cautioning that it had “to be done in a proportional manner and respecting international humanitarian law,’’ said Borrell. France also called for a Security Council resolution after talks between French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah. The statement added that the three countries had also agreed to launch a humanitarian initiative for the civilian population of Gaza in conjunction with the UN.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and U.S. administration officials have reportedly encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza.The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations challenged the Biden administration to show results in its efforts to stop the fighting, while pointing to the repeatedly blocking by the U.S. of UN Security Council action on the conflict. On Tuesday, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden “has been doing this long enough to know that the best way to end an international conflict is typically not to debate it in public.”
Overall, the fighting between Israel and Hamas has killed at least 213 Palestinians and 12 people in Israel. Israel’s military reported its fighter jets dropped 110 guided bombs onto the Gaza Strip overnight and into Tuesday, saying its targets included Hamas leaders, its tunnel network, and rocket launchpads. It also said that 90 rockets had been fired from Gaza overnight, bringing the total up to 3,440 rockets. A Palestinian man identified as a member of the Palestenian Islamic Jihad terror group was shot dead in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday after reportedly trying to throw a pipe bomb at a a group of Israeli soldiers , according to the Israeli Defense Force. Meanwhile, Palestinians across Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank went on strike in a collective protest Tuesday. Associated Press, Reuters, CNBC, Times of Israel, Washington Post, New York Times
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