By Andrea Shalal and Kanishka Singh
REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden significantly escalated his involvement in the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Sunday. Biden held a call with the leaders of Canada, France, Britain, Germany, and Italy, following his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister .
The White House confirmed Biden’s separate discussions with the Western leaders, Netanyahu, and . Concerns have been mounting about the Israel-Hamas conflict potentially escalating into a broader conflict in the Middle East as Israel’s attacks on Gaza continued and tensions along its border with Lebanon escalated.
The exclusion of Japan from Biden’s call with the Western leaders, including the G7 nations, remains unclear. The Group of Seven comprises these advanced economies, and its finance ministers recently met in Morocco and released a statement.
Biden had previously convened a virtual G7 meeting in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
During his conversation with the Pope, Biden discussed the urgent need to prevent further escalation in the region and emphasized the importance of pursuing a lasting peace in the Middle East, as conveyed by the White House.
The Vatican stated that the call, lasting around 20 minutes, primarily centered around conflict situations worldwide and the imperative to find pathways to peace.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Lisa Shumaker)
