Thousands of Israelis attend peace conference, call for ending war on Gaza

JERUSALEM / ANKARA

Thousands of Israelis on Friday attended a peace conference that called for ending the war on Gaza and finding a political settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The conference titled "People’s Peace Summit" was attended by over 5,000 participants and organized by the coalition "It’s Time," representing over 60 rights and peace-building organizations.

Among the participants are reservist soldiers opposing continuation of the war, families of Israeli captives held in Gaza, along with activists and public figures.

The conference also included recorded messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as a speech by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who strongly advocated for ending the war.

Macron said in his speech that France "will always stand with builders of peace," according to the Times of Israel news portal.

Nearly 52,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.