Top European diplomats call for Gaza cease-fire

Top European diplomats are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as concerns continue to mount over the number of civilians killed in the conflict.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock co-wrote an article published in the British weekly, the Sunday Times, on Sunday, The Associated Press reported. The two diplomats emphasized that “too many civilians have been killed” and called on the Israeli government to “do more to discriminate sufficiently between terrorists and civilians, ensuring its campaign targets Hamas leaders and operatives.”

“Israel will not win this war if its operations destroy the prospect of peaceful co-existence with Palestinians,” they said.

They urged that the cease-fire must take place as soon as possible, adding that it needs to be “sustainable.”

Militant group Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and capturing about 240 people as hostages. In the months since, Israel has bombarded Gaza in an effort to eliminate Hamas.

However, its repeated attacks have prompted concerns of a humanitarian crisis in the territory as the death toll continues to tick up. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 18,700 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the war.

France’s top diplomat also called for a cease-fire in remarks with her Israeli counterpart in Tel Aviv, the AP reported.

“An immediate truce is necessary, allowing progress to be made toward a cease-fire to obtain the release of the hostages, to allow access and the delivery of more humanitarian aid to the suffering civilian population of Gaza, and in fact to move toward a humanitarian cease-fire and the beginning of a political solution,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said.

France and Germany voted alongside the majority of the U.N. General Assembly last week to call for a cease-fire. Britain abstained from the vote, while the United States and nine other countries voted against it.

The U.S. has maintained its support of Israel and has not called for a cease-fire, but President Biden has offered some criticism of Israel in recent days. He warned last week that Israel could lose international support because of the “indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”

The Associated Press contributed.