The Italian government has announced that it will host a G7 ministerial conference on international emergencies.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tiani said in remarks quoted by the Acci news agency: ‘As part of our G7 presidency, I have decided to hold a conference on international cooperation this month in Pescara, in south-central Italy, to discuss humanitarian emergencies and how to help civilians in Lebanon and Gaza.

Tiani stressed ‘continued diplomatic action’, referring to the recent G7 statement in which leaders expressed deep concern about the crisis in the Middle East and urged regional parties to exercise restraint and act responsibly to avoid a new escalation.