Summary
- France condemns Israeli Gaza military occupation plan.
- Calls plan a disaster with serious consequences.
- Warns plan risks regional escalation, long conflict.
- Urges reversal and humanitarian aid access.
- Seeks UN mandate for Gaza stabilization.
It reiterated France's continued support for the deployment of a short-term international stabilization operation to protect Israeli and Palestinian security.
“The recent announcement by the Israeli government of a military occupation of northern Gaza, if implemented, would be a disaster and an escalation, with Israeli hostages and Gaza’s civilian population once again the first victims,”
the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The future of the Gaza Strip must be part of a future Palestinian state led by the Palestinian Authority. France remains committed to implementing the two-state solution, the only one that can guarantee lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians. This war must end now with a permanent ceasefire,”
it added.
France also reaffirmed its commitment to press freedom and denounced the murders of Al Jazeera journalists in the Gaza Strip.
“France expresses deep concern over the heavy toll paid by journalists in Gaza: since the start of the conflict, more than 200 have been killed in Israeli strikes,”
the ministry said, adding that
journalists “must never be targeted.”
In order to allow international journalists to
work "freely" and "independently" to capture the
"reality of the conflict," France also urged Israeli authorities to
guarantee safe and unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip.
According to the government media office in the
enclave, Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qraiqea were killed
Sunday in an Israeli strike that targeted a journalists' tent near the Al-Shifa
Hospital in western Gaza City. The strike also killed three camera operators
with the network and a freelance reporter.
Since October 2023, Israel has destroyed Gaza
and killed almost 61,000 Palestinians there. In addition to the development of
disease and the prevalence of rubbish mounds, the military campaign has
resulted in deaths from famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were both wanted by the International
Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza last
November.
Because of its war on the enclave, Israel is also facing a genocide prosecution at the International Court of Justice.
What specific actions has France threatened if Israel proceeds with the Gaza occupation?
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that
France could impose sanctions on Israel unless the government addresses the
humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Macron indicated that if no adequate response to
the crisis is made, France and its allies might toughen their collective
stance, which implies sanctions could target Israeli settlers or specific
entities involved in the blockade and military operations.
Alongside the United Kingdom and Canada, France
has threatened "concrete actions," including targeted sanctions, if
Israel continues its intensified military operations in Gaza and does not allow
adequate humanitarian aid. This trio expressed strong opposition to the
escalation and warned that forced displacement of Palestinians would be illegal
under international law.