France calls for ceasefire in 'disastrous' conflict

France’s foreign minister calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where a deadly six-day conflict is escalating in what he said was an “absolutely disastrous” way.

“In Gaza like in Israel, the absolute priority is a ceasefire,” Laurent Fabius tells reporters in Vienna, where he is gathering with his Western counterparts to discuss Iran’s controversial nuclear program in a meeting that was also due to touch on the Gaza offensive.

“In this context of an absolutely disastrous escalation, France — like the UN Security Council — calls for a return to the truce of 2012,” he said, referring to a ceasefire agreement that ended the last round of fighting between Israel and Hamas in November 2012.

— AFP