UK Foreign Minister David Cameron and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, called for a sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, however, stressing that an immediate end to hostilities is not the most optimal solution.
"Our goal cannot simply be an end to fighting today. It must be peace lasting for days, years, generations. We therefore support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable," Cameron and Baerbock said in an article for the Sunday Times.
The foreign ministers also said that a lasting truce must be achieved between Israel and Palestine, adding that if Israel is forced to immediately cease all military actions, this could lead to increased violence and hinder the achievement of long-term peace.
They questioned whether Hamas would "lay down its arms" and stop firing rockets and holding hostages, if a ceasefire was introduced immediately.
"We do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward. It ignores why Israel is forced to defend itself: Hamas barbarically attacked Israel and still fires rockets to kill Israeli citizens every day," the UK and German top diplomats said.
To achieve a lasting peace in the future, the foreign ministers consider it necessary to urge Israel not to violate international humanitarian law and make efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
Cameron and Baerbock added that they had increased funding for humanitarian aid for people in Gaza and called on stakeholders, in particular Arab countries, to work on a political solution to the conflict, since the rise of extremism is dangerous not only for Israel but for Palestine as well.
They also condemned the actions of extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank and said that Palestine needs leadership that is capable of providing security and good governance.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna echoed these calls at a meeting with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen.
"I've come here to once again remind you of the importance of a new humanitarian truce. We need to return to a truce, a sustainable truce," she said at a joint press conference in Tel Aviv.
Colonna also expressed concern about the "too high" number of civilian casualties of the conflict, calling for the victims of Hamas attacks not to be forgotten.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip across the border, killing over 1,200 people and abducting some 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 18,700 people have been killed so far in Gaza and 1,200 in Israel as a result of the conflict, according to latest data provided by authorities.