French President Emmanuel Macron “urges Israel to stop the bombings” that are killing civilians in Gaza, according to an interview with the BBC on Friday evening.
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“We share (Israel’s) pain. And we share their desire to get rid of terrorism.” But “de facto, civilians are being bombed today.” These babies, these women, these old people are being bombed and killed.” There is “no justification” and “no legitimacy” for this. We therefore urge Israel to stop this,” he stressed.
Hamas’ health ministry said 11,078 people, including 4,506 children, have been killed in Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, which was sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s bloody attack on the Hebrew state on October 7.
This “response in the fight against terrorism, because it is led by a democracy, must be in accordance with the international rules of war and international humanitarian law,” said the French president.
When asked about a possible violation of international law by Israel, Emmanuel Macron emphasized that he was “not a judge” but “a head of state”.
He also expressed concern that the “massive bombing” of Gaza would cause “resentment” in the region.
This interview comes the day after a “humanitarian conference” held in Paris on Thursday at the initiative of the French President, during which he called for “working towards a ceasefire”.
“There is no solution other than a humanitarian pause first” to reach a “ceasefire that protects all civilians who have nothing to do with the terrorists,” he stressed on Friday.
“It is impossible to explain that we want to fight terrorism by killing innocent people,” the French president continued.
On the Israeli side, 1,200 people have died since the start of the war, according to a new official figure revised downwards on Friday, most of them civilians killed on the day of the attack by Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the United States and the European Union