LONDON

France and Germany on Friday condemned "all attempts" to annex and reoccupy parts of Palestinian territory to increase settlement construction, and expressed "shock" over the insufferable human toll in the Gaza Strip.

Paris and Berlin have reiterated their commitment to a two-state solution, expressing that they are convinced this is the only way to guarantee that Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace, security, and dignity.

In a joint statement following the conclusions of the Franco-German Defense and Security Council, the two European countries said the war "must end now."

"We call for an immediate ceasefire, the provision of a massive, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza, through the established and proven humanitarian mechanism run by the UN and humanitarian NGOs, leading to a permanent end to hostilities," it added.

Saying that Hamas "must immediately and unconditionally" release all hostages, the statement added that in the future, Hamas "must neither govern Gaza nor be in any way a threat to Israel."

Both countries expressed strong opposition to Israeli attempts to reoccupy Gaza or to transfer Palestinians from their lands.

"France and Germany condemn all attempts to annex and reoccupy parts of Palestinian territory, to increase settlement construction, in particular through the E1 project."

It added: "We are shocked by the insufferable human toll in the Gaza Strip as well as the famine reported as the result of the blockade on humanitarian aid and the expansion of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip."

France and Germany also expressed that they are strongly opposed to any forcible transfer of Palestinians while calling on the Israeli authorities to put an end to these operations, lift all the humanitarian constraints, and cooperate with the Palestinian Authority.

On Syria, the two countries reaffirmed their joint commitment to support a peaceful and inclusive political transition in Syria and underlined their commitment to support reconstruction and the safe return of Syrian refugees to their country.

- Additional air defense to Ukraine

Citing the "threat posed by Russia," France and Germany said they are convinced that the transatlantic alliance remains the foundation of European security, adding they are resolved to implement the historic decisions made at the NATO summit in The Hague in June.

"Despite intensive international diplomatic efforts, Russia shows no intention to end its war of aggression against Ukraine," said the statement.

In response to recent Russian strikes on Ukraine, France and Germany said they will provide additional air defense to Ukraine.

"As part of our military support, we will increase procurement of defense goods produced in Ukraine to meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces," it added.

Ukraine said on Thursday that at least 21 people were killed in a major overnight Russian attack on Kyiv.

"As of 8.45 pm (1745GMT), 21 people have been confirmed dead in the Russian attack on Kyiv. Search and rescue operations are ongoing," Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA), wrote on Telegram.

The British Council and the EU mission in Kyiv also said that their buildings were hit and damaged in the attack.