Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday called on Israel and on Hamas militants in Gaza to "immediately" cease their escalating conflict and to work for a ceasefire.
"The downward spiral of violence must stop immediately. We must demand that the sides contribute constructively to the attempts at mediation that are underway and adopt de-escalation measures to obtain a ceasefire," Di Maio said, according to sources.
Di Maio was speaking at an emergency video summit of European Union foreign ministers centred on warfare that has entered its second week and killed more than 200 people in Gaza, at least two in the West Bank and 12 in Israel.
