G7 foreign ministers are meeting near Rome for two days of talks with regional counterparts on the Middle East, before turning to Russia and the war in Ukraine, AFP reports.

The group will also discuss the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas’s military chief, “and the possible effects on the current crises in Lebanon and Gaza”, Italy’s foreign ministry said.

The first session today will be dedicated to the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea, notably efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.