French President Emmanuel Macron has told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the suffering in Gaza has to stop. Meanwhile, the head of the UN said he was “deeply alarmed” by a strike on a Gaza hospital.
The French president and Israeli prime minister spoke in a phone call, with Emmanuel Macron telling Benjamin Netanyahu that: “The ordeal the civilian populations of Gaza are going through must end.”
Macron also stressed that a ceasefire was the only way to ensure the liberation of further hostages.
At the same time, Netanyahu reiterated his strict opposition to the realization of a Palestinian state to the French leader.
Macron says civilian suffering in Gaza ‘must end’
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip, saying only a ceasefire can secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages.
“The ordeal the civilian populations of Gaza are going through must end,” Macron wrote on X after a phone call to Netanyahu on Tuesday. He also called for opening all humanitarian aid crossings into Gaza.
The United Nations has warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is worsening, with no aid deliveries entering for weeks.
Macron also reiterated that France remains committed to the release of all hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas. He expressed hope for a ceasefire, renewed humanitarian access, and progress toward a political two-state solution.
The French president said the ceasefire was the only way to ensure the liberation of further hostages.
On Monday, Hamas said Israel had proposed a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of half the hostages.
According to a Hamas official, Israel also demanded disarmament—something the group called a “red line.”
Last week, Macron raised tensions with Israel by suggesting France may recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference in June. Israel has said such recognition is premature.
Macron argues that French recognition could encourage others to do the same — and potentially persuade states that do not currently recognize Israel to shift their stance.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli prime minister expressed to the French president his “strong opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, stating that it would be a huge reward for terrorism.”
US detains Palestinian student at citizenship appointment
US officials have detained Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student at Columbia University, after he arrived for an interview for his US citizenship petition.
Mahdawi, who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, moved to the United States in 2014 and was granted permanent residency in 2015.
He was arrested at an immigration office in Vermont state on Monday.
A friend of Mahdawi recorded a video of the Palestinian student being led to a car by authorities while he is seen giving a peace sign with his hands.
UN chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by Israeli strike on Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is has said he is “deeply alarmed” by Sunday’s Israeli strike on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
The UN head stressed that under international humanitarian law, the wounded, medical staff, and healthcare facilities must be protected, his spokesman said.
“The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by Sunday’s strike by Israeli forces on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, incapacitating the hospital in Gaza City and dealing a severe blow to an already devastated healthcare system in the Strip,” the spokesperson said.
He also said medicine, food, and water in Gaza were reportedly running dangerously low.
According to hospital staff, two Israeli missiles hit the facility, disabling the emergency department and damaging other buildings. Medics said patients were evacuated after a call from someone identifying as Israeli security that warned of the impending strike only 18 minutes before it happened.
