Macron, Sisi and Abdullah II called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron, his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II called for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip and the release of "all hostages" held by the Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas", reported France Press, quoted by BTA.

In a joint article published in four newspapers, the three leaders further warned Israel of the "dangerous consequences" from his possible operation in the city of Rafah in the southernmost part of the coastal territory.

"The war in Gaza and the catastrophic human suffering it causes must stop immediately," wrote Macron, Al-Sisi and Abdullah II.

The article was published in four newspapers - the French "Mond", the American "Washington Post", the Jordanian "Ar Rai" and the Egyptian "Al Ahram".

Representatives of Israel, Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar began another round of talks on Sunday in an attempt to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, AFP notes. A media outlet close to the Egyptian authorities reported "significant progress" in the discussions in the capital Cairo.

The United States, meanwhile, has warned that it is against any major Israeli operation in Rafah, AFP reported.

Over one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have taken refuge in this city on the border with Egypt. Despite mounting international pressure on Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to conduct an operation in Rafah and even announced that a date had been set for its launch. According to the Israeli leadership, the city is one of the last bastions of "Hamas" - the Palestinian Islamist movement that Netanyahu threatened to destroy after his attack in Israel on October 7.

"We have made it clear to Israel that we believe a massive military incursion into Rafah would have an extremely harmful effect on these civilians and would ultimately harm Israel's security," said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who is a key ally of President Joe Biden, and dozens of other congressional Democrats have meanwhile signed a letter calling for an end to US arms supplies to Israel, Reuters notes.

The initiative was taken after the death of seven humanitarian workers in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip early last week.