LONDON: The foreign ministers of the UK, France and Germany said on Saturday they welcomed American, Egyptian and Qatari efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

A joint statement said escalation in tensions would undermine these efforts and said there was “too much at stake” for a truce not to be reached.

“We, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to conclude the agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages and are encouraged by the constructive approach adopted so far,” the statement said. 

“We welcome the fact that technical work will continue over the coming days, including on both the humanitarian provisions and the specific arrangements relating to hostages and detainees, and that senior officials will then reconvene before the end of next week with the aim of concluding the agreement.

“We urge all parties to continue to engage positively and flexibly in this process. We underline the importance of avoiding any escalatory action in the region which would undermine the prospect for peace. There is too much at stake,” it added. 

Hamas officials said Friday they had rejected “new conditions” in the Gaza ceasefire proposal that US-led mediators presented during two days of talks in Qatar.

Diplomatic efforts have failed to alleviate the suffering endured over more than 10 months of war, but US President Joe Biden insisted after the latest round of talks that “we are closer than we have ever been.”