Paris considers Israeli authorities 'responsible' for the situation in Gaza

The French Foreign Minister criticized the Israeli authorities in an interview with the French newspaper "Le Monde" published on Saturday, considering them responsible for preventing the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Stéphane Séjourné said, "It is clear that the responsibility for preventing the arrival of aid (to the Gaza Strip) lies with Israel," pointing out that the catastrophic humanitarian situation "leads to conditions that cannot be defended or justified, for which the Israelis bear responsibility."

France has intensified its efforts with the Israeli authorities to open additional crossings and allow trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to enter.

However, this has not happened, and "the famine is worsening the horror," according to Séjourné, who visited the area a month ago.

The statements of the French Foreign Minister come after the tragedy that occurred on Thursday when Israeli gunfire and stampeding led to the death of 115 people, according to Hamas, during the distribution of humanitarian aid in the sector.

Séjourné called on Friday via "France Inter" radio for an independent investigation into what happened.

On Saturday, he noted that there is a "deadlock on Rafah" in the south of the sector, where approximately one and a half million Palestinians are crowded, according to the United Nations, on the closed border with Egypt. 

At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to launch a ground attack on Rafah soon to defeat the movement in its "last stronghold."

The French Foreign Minister reiterated that this would be "another humanitarian catastrophe, and we are doing our utmost to avoid it," reminding that France has been calling for a permanent ceasefire for months.

Séjourné also pointed out that "recognizing a Palestinian state is an element of the peace process that must be used at the appropriate time."

On another note, Séjourné said there is no division between France and Germany despite the apparent differences between President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding Ukraine.

He said in the same interview, "There is no French-German dispute; we agree on 80 percent of the issues."

AFP