French President, Emmanuel Macron, said that a ceasefire in Gaza is “a priority” during a press conference on Tuesday.
Macron also reportedly said that targeted operations by the Israeli military must be combined with respect for humanitarian law.
“I say this because it is in Israel’s long-term security interest. Continuing to launch operations as it is doing now is a long-term risk because of the impact it has in the entire region on Israel’s own security,” Macron said, according to French media.
He also noted the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading in the region, saying “France is attached to peace and stability in Lebanon.”
The report further adds that Macron said, “All lives matter”, and that he blamed the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas for the current situation in the region.
He said France had delivered humanitarian aid to those in need in Gaza but stressed that the “priority is a cease-fire.”
The president also announced that a national ceremony will be held on February 7 in Paris to pay tribute to 41 French nationals killed in the October 7 “attacks”.
In December, Macron said Israel “must more precisely define” its end goals, as the stated aim of eliminating Hamas would take a decade.
“If it is the aim, the war will last for 10 years,” he said, on the sidelines of the UN COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 24,448 Palestinians have been killed, and 61,504 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
French President Emmanuel Macron. (Photo: Jacque Parquier, via Wikimedia Commons)
Source: PC, Anadolu
