Disputes among G7 nations may prevent consensus on a path to peace in Gaza: experts

When U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new proposal for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza last week, it took only a few days for the G7 to endorse the plan in a joint statement.

But experts say other disagreements among G7 member countries over the past nine months may mean the world's leading economies fail to reach a consensus on a long-term path to peace when they meet in Italy next week.

The G7 nations — Canada, the United States, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, with the European Union also taking part — issued a statement Monday saying they «fully endorse and will stand behind the comprehensive peace deal outlined by President Biden that would lead to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in humanitarian assistance for distribution throughout Gaza, and an enduring end to the crisis.»

The statement also repeated the G7's commitment to an eventual two-state solution and called on Hamas to accept the deal.

That ceasefire proposal would see Israeli forces withdraw from populated areas of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinians from captivity, allow Palestinian families to return to their homes and ramp up food aid delivery to 600 trucks per day.

The ceasefire would last six weeks and would also require Hamas to release all Israeli hostages.

The G7 is less than completely unified on other matters concerning the conflict.

On May 20, the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor Karim Khan announced he was seeking warrants for the leaders of Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden's reaction was immediate. In a media statement, the White House called attempts to prosecute Israel's leaders «outrageous» and said