ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Israel's ongoing war on Gaza "increasingly puts regional stability at risk" following a phone call with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

"There must be an end to the war, which each day increasingly puts regional stability at risk," Macron wrote on US social media company X after he spoke with bin Zayed on late Thursday to discuss recent Israeli strikes on Doha.

Macron stressed that respect for state sovereignty is an "essential principle" for regional stability, as is the two-state solution.

"I reiterated to President Mohamed Bin Zayed the heightened urgency of finally reaching an agreement that would allow for the release of all hostages and the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, capable of bringing the necessary relief to the Palestinians in Gaza," he added.

Israeli warplanes on Tuesday launched an airstrike targeting Hamas’ leadership in the Qatari capital, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu addressed Doha, saying: “You either expel them (Hamas) or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.”

Netanyahu compared the Israeli assault on Doha to the US pursuit of Al-Qaeda following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Qatar swiftly rejected the comparison, branding it a "new, miserable justification for Israel’s treacherous practices" and a reckless violation of its sovereignty.

Qatar, along with the US and Egypt, has been playing a central role in efforts to mediate an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 64,700 Palestinians since October 2023.