Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calls for international conference to end Israel-Hamas war

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday has called for an international conference to resolve the Israel-Hamas war. 

He said Palestinians are ready to work with the international community on a “serious political process” that leads to an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, according to the Associated Press. 

He also again called for a halt to the war in Gaza. 

Abbas’ Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 

Hamas drove his forces out of Gaza when it seized power there in 2007. 

The war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct. 7 following a surprise terrorist attack in southern Israel, is now in its 53rd day.