Qatar, France leaders discuss Gaza situation in phone call

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) — Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in Gaza during a phone call, according to Qatar's Amiri Diwan on Saturday evening.

The leaders reviewed regional developments, particularly Israel's ongoing military onslaught in Gaza that has been taking place since Oct. 7, 2023, the statement said.

The call comes ahead of a high-level UN conference on the Palestinian issue co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in New York this month.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million residents.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.