The French Foreign Ministry stated that the country “strongly reiterates its call for an immediate truce leading to a cease-fire,” and condemned “systematic bombing that has again left many civilian victims in recent days.”
Israel must take concrete measures to protect the lives of the civilian population in Gaza.
The ministry welcomed the recent UN Security Council resolution calling for “urgent steps” to immediately allow humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.
“In accordance with this, we call on Israel to facilitate the delivery of aid throughout the Gaza Strip and to take urgent measures to ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel initiated a retaliatory military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7. The retaliation killed at least 20,915 Palestinians and injured 54,918.
In addition, 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Nearly 2 million people have been displaced due to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Some 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed as a result of the Hamas attack.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and secure the release of all hostages taken in the October attack. Some hostages were returned after a temporary truce in November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
