France demands Israel halt assault on Rafah immediately

Paris, May 11 (IANS/DPA) France has called on Israel to immediately halt its military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The foreign ministry in Paris announced that the military operation, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the week, is threatening a catastrophic situation for the civilian population in Gaza, who have already been displaced several times and for whom there are no longer any safe areas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel should resume negotiations, it said on Friday evening, as this was the only way to achieve the immediate release of the hostages and a lasting ceasefire.

France once again called on Israel to do everything possible to ensure the protection of the civilian population and to ensure the import of humanitarian aid in accordance with international law and the demands of the International Court of Justice.

According to the Foreign Ministry in Paris, Israel must immediately reopen the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, which is essential both for the civilian population's access to humanitarian aid and for the most vulnerable people to leave the Gaza Strip.

France also condemned the attacks by Israeli settlers on a Jordanian aid convoy and called on the Israeli authorities to put an end to the settlers' violence.

France also condemned the Hamas attack on the Kerem Shalom border crossing.