Around $1 billion (£772 million) has been raised at a conference in Paris to ease the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and support its army, with France 's foreign minister urging Israel to heed the message to cease fire and focus on diplomacy.

The pledges rolled in at the Paris conference. Early on, both Germany and France earmarked around $100 million apiece for Lebanon. The funds will support humanitarian aid in the country, where fighting sparked by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel has killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

A Paris conference on aid for conflict-stricken Lebanon raised around $800 million for humanitarian aid and a further $200 million to support the country's armed forces, French Foreign Minister

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed the importance of a unified international response to end the conflict

The international community raised over $800 million (€740 million) to fund humanitarian aid in Lebanon, the French foreign minister said Thursday.

France pledged to provide a 100-million euro ($108-million) package to support Lebanon at an international conference Thursday, as President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” is needed to support the country where war between Hezbollah militants and Israel has displaced a million people,

An international conference in Paris has mobilized €800 million ($865 million) in immediate humanitarian aid for Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday, with a further €200 million pledged to bolster the country's armed forces.

An international conference has mobilized €800 million ($865 million) in immediate humanitarian aid for Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday as the conference ended in Paris.