The agreement between Israel and Hamas to release hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist movement should be “expanded”, and the “humanitarian pause” provided for in it “utilized” so that an effort is made for a “sustainable ceasefire”, the French presidency said today Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who received the foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries, told them that this presupposes “that Israel’s security is absolutely taken into account by all,” the Elysee Palace added. “There will be no sustainable ceasefire without very strong guarantees for Israel’s security,” Macron said.

The French president received in Paris the heads of diplomacy of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey, as well as the secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Abul Yeit.

He asked first everyone to be “absolutely clear in condemning the attacks by Hamas” that sparked this new war on October 7, an adviser said.

The ministers asked to “support the requests of the Arab countries”, mainly to “ensure the access of humanitarian aid” and “to achieve an immediate and lasting ceasefire” in order to then move towards a two-state solution, one Israeli and of a Palestinian, it became known from the entourage of the French president.

France believes that “the humanitarian truce must make it possible to negotiate the terms of a ceasefire”, “as sustainable as possible”.

According to the Elysee, the Egyptian minister “said he intends to facilitates access of humanitarian aid to Gaza”.