Hollande calls for ‘immediate end to Gaza suffering’

French President Francois Hollande Monday called for urgent measures to stop the suffering in Gaza after a phone conversation with UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

“Everything must be done to put an immediate end to the suffering of the civil population in Gaza,” a statement from Hollande’s office said.

It quoted Ban, who is now in Cairo, as saying that he was working to try and “bring about a truce as soon as possible and an end to the crisis.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry is also flying to the region after President Barack Obama urged an “immediate ceasefire”, echoing a call by the UN Security Council.