Macron asks Netanyahu for 'lasting ceasefire' in Gaza

An aerial view on December 26, 2023 shows destroyed buildings in Beit Lahia following Israeli bombardments in the northern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)

(AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron demanded a "lasting ceasefire" in Gaza during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, his office said, as an escalating humanitarian crisis grips the Palestinian territory.

"France will work in the coming days in cooperation with Jordan to carry out humanitarian operations in Gaza," the French presidency added in a statement.

Macron, an ally of Netanyahu since the start of the war triggered by the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, told the Israeli premier of his "deepest concern" about civilian deaths and the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.

He also insisted on the importance of measures to end violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank and prevent new planned settlements.

Netanyahu's office said during the call the prime minister thanked Macron for "France's involvement in defending freedom of navigation and its willingness to help restore security along Israel's border with Lebanon".

The conflict erupted when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in captivity, Israel says.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and retaliated with relentless bombardment and a ground invasion in Gaza that has killed at least 21,110 people, mainly women and children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

© Agence France-Presse