RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke Saturday on the telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid escalating tension in the region.

“Abbas emphasized that the current escalation in the region is a result of the political impasse, the denial of the Palestinian people's legitimate right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, their land, and their sacred sites, and the continued terrorism of Israeli settlers,” Palestine’s official WAFA news agency said about the call.

Abbas “highlighted the international community's silence, which has encouraged the Israeli occupation to commit more crimes, as witnessed in Gaza, the West Bank, including Jerusalem, where hundreds of Palestinian civilians have lost their lives, thousands have been injured, and many have been taken captive,” it said.

The Palestinian president also urged Macron “to urgently intervene to halt the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people by Israeli occupation forces and extremist settler groups.”

Abbas spoke separately with Blinken.

“I spoke with Palestinian Authority President Abbas to discuss the terrorist attacks against Israel,” Blinken wrote on X. “I urged that all leaders in the region must condemn these appalling acts of terrorism.”

Hamas launched Operation Al Aqsa Flood on Saturday and said its surprise, multifront attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

In turn, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
At least 232 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks, according to medical sources in Gaza, while Israeli authorities put the death toll of its citizens at 300.