French President Francois Hollande on Monday urged action against bloodshed in the Middle East, notably in Gaza, where 1,820 Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded since the start of the Israeli offensive on 8 July.

"When I see what is happening with the Christians in Iraq, the minorities in Syria, massacres every day. What is happening too in Gaza, massacres... We have to act," Hollande said.

"Europe must be ready... to take the initiative on the international scene and not think simply that others will do the job for them," he said on the margins of events in Liege to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.

Europe had to take a hard look at what was happening across the Mediterranean Sea where "terrorism, violence could increase and spread," he warned.

Earlier Monday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Israel's right to security did not justify its actions in Gaza and called for a political solution to be "imposed" by the international community.

"How many more deaths will it take to stop what must be called the carnage in Gaza?" Fabius said in a statement.

The French comments come amid global outrage over an Israeli strike next to a UN school where ten Palestinians were killed, among them childrens who had been seeking refuge from the violence.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online