The French president accused the Israeli prime minister of hitting civilians in Gaza, to which he responded angrily, saying he was trying “everything to minimise harm.”
A cease-fire in Gaza is being pushed by some, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has advised Western leaders not to give in to pressure. He claims that French President Emmanuel Macron “made a mistake” by suggesting that the IDF quit targeting people in the Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu stated at a news conference on Saturday that Israel was “truly doing everything to minimise harm to civilians,” but that Hamas would not be given “a licence” to kill Israeli people without retaliation. The Times of Israel reports that Netanyahu made this statement.
Macron declared to the BBC on Friday that he “clearly condemns” the attack on Israel by Hamas. But he also noted that “civilians are bombed de facto today,” calling attention to the fact that “there is no reason for that and no legitimacy” and pleading with Israel to cease. The only way to safeguard all Gazan civilians, he continued, was through a humanitarian ceasefire.
READ ALSO: Macron meets with France’s final Sahel ally
Netanyahu responded to Macron’s statements by saying, “He made a huge mistake, factually and ethically. Not Israel, but Hamas is impeding the civilian exodus.
He maintained that Hamas was employing the people living in the enclave as human shields and fired on the safe corridor intended for the evacuation of Gaza’s northern residents. Netanyahu said that in addition to killing Israeli citizens, Hamas fighters were also committing double war crimes by disguising themselves as regular Palestinians.
Speaking to the president of France and all other leaders, he declared, “If we sanctify this method of the terrorists, that they can situate themselves in the middle of the civilian population… then we guarantee that these things will continue to spread.”
On the same day as Macron’s statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “far too many” Palestinians had died in Israel’s retaliation against Hamas militants in Gaza and noted that Washington was trying to convince West Jerusalem to impose longer “humanitarian pauses,” without giving details.
According to Israeli sources, on October 7, Hamas assaulted Israel, killing almost 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 more. Netanyahu retaliated by declaring war on the nation and initiating heavy airstrikes as well as a ground assault in Gaza. According to Palestinian officials, more than 11,000 people have died on their side, the bulk of them were women and children.
