France's President Emmanuel Macron told Israel's leader during a phone call on Tuesday, April 15, that the suffering of Gazan civilians "must end" and that only a ceasefire in Gaza could free remaining Israeli hostages. "The ordeal the civilian populations of Gaza are going through must end," Macron posted on X after the call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He also called for "opening all humanitarian aid crossings" into the besieged Palestinian territory. A statement released by Netanyahu's office said the two leaders spoke by phone and 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."
"The prime minister told the French president that a Palestinian state established just minutes away from Israeli cities would become a stronghold of Iranian terrorism, and that a vast majority of the Israeli public firmly opposes this – and this has been his consistent and long-standing policy."
The United Nations has warned that Gaza's humanitarian crisis is spiraling out of control, with no aid having entered the territory for weeks. Palestinian militant group Hamas said Monday that Israel had offered a 45-day ceasefire if it releases half of the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Macron said he told Netanyahu "the release of all hostages" and the "demilitarization of Hamas" were still an absolute priority for France. He said he hoped for "a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, humanitarian aid and then finally reopening the prospect of a political two-state solution."
Macron irked Israel last week when he suggested Paris could recognize a Palestinian state during a United Nations conference in New York in June. Israel insists such moves by foreign states are premature.
But Macron has said he hopes French recognition of a Palestinian state will encourage not just other nations to follow suit, but also countries who do not recognize Israel to do so.