French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, June 13, that next week's UN conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians in New York had been postponed, but would be held "as soon as possible."
Macron made the announcement after Israel pounded Iran in a series of air raids, striking 100 targets including nuclear and military sites, as well as killing Iran's armed forces' chief of staff and nuclear scientists.
"While we have to postpone this conference for logistical and security reasons, it will take place as soon as possible," Macron said at a press conference.
Macron said in early June that he expected the conference in New York would take steps "towards recognizing Palestine," without being more specific. And on Friday, he reiterated France's "determination" to recognize a Palestinian state "under any circumstances."
The Gaza war was sparked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Hamas's assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel said late on Wednesday that its forces had retrieved the bodies of two hostages from southern Gaza. Prior to the latest announcement, out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 were still held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians. The United Nations considers the figures to be reliable.