Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of supporting the Palestinian movement Hamas.
The accusations came in response to statements by the French leader, who called Israel’s policy in Gaza shameful.
Macron called the actions of the Jewish state and Netanyahu personally “shameful” with regard to the Gaza Strip, drawing attention to the lack of access to water, medicine and medical care for the enclave’s residents. The French president also called on the European Union to toughen its stance towards Israel.
However, Netanyahu stressed that the country would continue to pursue its goals of freeing hostages, destroying Hamas and eliminating threats in the Gaza Strip.
In April, Netanyahu told Macron that recognising Palestine as a state would be “a victory for Hamas and Iran.” According to the Israeli prime minister, a Palestinian state established a few minutes from Israeli cities would become an Iranian springboard for terrorism.
Since March, the Israeli army has been conducting operations in the Gaza Strip, expanding security zones and restricting the delivery of humanitarian aid.
