Brussels, April 01 (QNA) - European stock indices rose at the start of trading on Wednesday, after remarks by US President Donald Trump in which he hinted at the possibility of the US-Israeli war on Iran ending within two to three weeks.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 2.4 percent to 596.76 points, with all major sectors advancing except the energy sector.

Germany's DAX index increased by about 2.7 percent to 23,294.22 points, while Britain's FTSE 100 index rose 1.8 percent to 10,361.03 points, and France's CAC 40 index gained 2.3 percent to 8,000.05 points.

Shares of travel companies, which are highly sensitive to oil prices, jumped 4.2 percent to lead sector gains, while banking stocks, which carry heavy weight on the indices, rose 3.9 percent.

By contrast, Brent crude futures fell by more than 5 percent, reaching USD 99.07 per barrel in the latest trading, which led energy sector stocks on the STOXX 600 to decline by 0.7 percent.

The STOXX 600 index has fallen by more than 10 percent from the record high it reached earlier last March, and it ended the month with its largest losses since June 2022.

European stocks have come under heavy pressure since the US and the Israeli entity began the war on Iran on Feb. 28, due to the continent's heavy reliance on importing oil via the partially closed Strait of Hormuz. (QNA)