On Wednesday, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to put an end to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of civilian casualties are reported.
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According to the Elysée (Presidency), in a telephone conversation the French president warned his interlocutor that the human damage and the humanitarian situation in the densely populated coastal enclave are unacceptable, subjected to indiscriminate bombing and a total blockade by Israel, in retaliation for the attack of last October 7 by Hamas.
Macron also expressed his firm opposition to an offensive against the city of Rafah, bordering Egypt, in which about 1,400,000 Palestinians are refugees, a white city for these days of aggression.
In that sense, the president told Netanyahu that the attacks on Rafah can only lead to a new magnitude of the humanitarian disaster, as well as the forced displacement of the population of Gaza.
Cited by the Elysée, the French head of state insisted on the violation of International Humanitarian Law that constitutes the displacement of civilians and warned about the risks of a regional escalation of the conflict.
In what would be Macron's greatest pressure on the Israeli leader, he called him to allow the passage of aid to the Palestinians through all existing routes, including Jordan, because not doing so is unjustifiable.
In addition to reiterating Paris' commitment to Israel's security, the president advocated the release of all the hostages still held by Hamas.
Macron has called for the solution of two States living in peace and security as the only viable one for the old conflict and the crisis in the Middle East, a position he defended on Wednesday.
The day before, France sanctioned almost thirty Israeli settlers responsible for violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a measure consisting of the administrative ban on entry into French territory.
Netanyahu's positions in the conversation are not known here at the moment, but the prime minister has supported the continuity of military operations, despite their devastating consequences and international pressure.