Macron warns Netanyahu against invading Rafah

By Seyma Uzundere

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that any military offensive in the southern Gaza city Rafah would exacerbate an already worsening situation.

During their conversation, Macron expressed solidarity with Tel Aviv following Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel on April 13, according to a statement by the Elysee Palace.

Defining the retaliatory attack as unacceptable, the French president said all parties should take measures to avoid tensions in the region.

Mentioning the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Macron noted that he opposed Israel's planned military offensive in Rafah, as it would exacerbate the already catastrophic situation in Gaza and escalate tensions.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 34,151 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 77,000 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.