Gaza: Paris reiterates its call for a “stop to the fighting” to avoid “a disaster”

Europe 1 with AFP 3:35 p.m., February 11, 2024

France, deeply concerned after the Israeli strikes in Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip), urged Israel on Sunday to stop the fighting to avoid "a disaster". “A large-scale Israeli offensive in Rafah would create a catastrophic humanitarian situation of a new dimension and unjustifiable,” responded deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Christophe Lemoine. “In order to avoid disaster, we reiterate our call for an end to the fighting,” he added in a written statement.

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Paris recalls that "Rafah is today a place where more than 1.3 million people are taking refuge." “It is also a vital crossing point for delivering humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza,” underlines the spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persisted on Sunday in his desire to launch a military offensive against Rafah.

“France opposes any forced displacement of populations”

He assures that the population will benefit from secure passage. “In Gaza, as everywhere else, France opposes any forced displacement of populations, prohibited by international humanitarian law,” commented Christophe Lemoine. “The future of the Gaza Strip and its inhabitants can only be found in a Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside Israel,” he also added.

The war in Gaza was sparked on October 7 when Hamas commandos, infiltrated from the Gaza Strip, carried out an attack in southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count made from official Israeli data.

Around 250 people were kidnapped that day and forcibly taken to Gaza. According to Israel, 132 hostages are still held there, of whom 29 are believed to have died. In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive which left more than 28,064 dead in the Palestinian territory, the vast majority of women, children and adolescents, according to the latest report from the Hamas Ministry of Health. An assault on Rafah would threaten negotiations on the release of hostages held in Gaza, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has warned.