French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a forced transfer of the population of the southern Gaza city of Rafah would constitute “a war crime.”
In a telephone call between the two leaders on Sunday, Macron repeated his opposition to any Israeli military operation against Hamas in Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population has sought shelter following fierce clashes in the besieged territory.
Macron also “strongly condemned” Israel’s announcement on Friday that 800 hectares of land in the West Bank has been seized for new settlements.
Activists say the seizure of land in the northern Jordan Valley was the largest in decades.
The French president told Netanyahu he planned to bring a draft resolution to the UN Security Council urging for “an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”
The planned Rafah ground offensive has undergone heavy international pressure with warnings it would cause mass civilian casualties and further damage to the humanitarian crisis.
Israel has insisted the offensive is necessary in the campaign to destroy Hamas.
The Hamas-run health ministry now says 32,070 people have been killed in Gaza in almost six months.
