President Emmanuel Macron has announced France's formal recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying he supported "peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples."
Macron was addressing the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, reports the Deutsche Welle.
"The time for peace has come, as we are just moments away from no longer being able to seize it," the French president told the summit.
"The time has come to free the 48 hostages held by Hamas. The time has come to stop the war, the bombings of Gaza, the massacres and the displacement," Macron added.
The release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel will be a precondition for opening a French embassy to the Palestinian state, Macron elaborated.
France's recognition of the state of Palestine comes a day after the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal made the same move.
Israel has been facing mounting international pressure over the war in Gaza.
