France and Italy on Monday denounced Israel’s war plans in Gaza, with the latter saying it was considering sanctions, as Jerusalem planned to expand its operations and take control of Gaza City.
French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that “this war must end now with a permanent ceasefire,” adding the plan to take control of Gaza City was “a disaster of unprecedented gravity and a headlong rush into permanent war.”
“Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza will continue to be the primary victims of this strategy,” Macron said.
Israel has said its military would conquer Gaza City in a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet that sparked a wave of global criticism, as well as alarm among the families of hostages who fear the move would risk their loved ones’ lives.
In the statement, Macron said it was important to establish a UN-mandated stabilization mission to secure the Gaza Strip.
“The [UN] Security Council must now work to establish this mission and give it a mandate,” he said.
“I have asked my teams to work on this without delay with our partners,” Macron added.
Separately, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told La Stampa daily on Monday: “What is happening is unacceptable. We are not facing a military operation with collateral damage, but the pure denial of the law and the founding values of our civilization.
“We are committed to humanitarian aid, but we must now find a way to force Netanyahu to think clearly, beyond condemnation.”
Asked about possible international sanctions against Israel, Crosetto said that “the occupation of Gaza and some serious acts in the West Bank mark a qualitative leap, in the face of which decisions must be made that force Netanyahu to think.”
“And it wouldn’t be a move against Israel, but a way to save those people from a government that has lost reason and humanity.
“We must always distinguish governments from states and peoples, as well as from the religions they profess. This applies to Netanyahu, and it applies to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, whose methods, by now, have become dangerously similar.”
Italy has declined to join other nations in saying it would recognize a Palestinian state — a decision Crosetto defended, saying that “recognizing a state that doesn’t exist risks turning into nothing but a political provocation in a world dying of provocations.”
He spoke after Netanyahu defended Israel’s fresh plan on Sunday, saying “Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” and insisting that the Jewish state was not looking to permanently occupy the Strip.
“We have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under Israeli control, military control,” he said.
“But we have two remaining strongholds, okay? These are Gaza City and the central camps in al-Mawasi.”
Asked about criticism from world leaders of the war, he said: “Maybe some choose to forget October 7. We will not forget what happened, and we will do whatever it takes to defend our country and defend our people, defend our future. We will win the war, with or without the support of others.”
The nearly two-year Israeli offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, in figures that have not been verified and do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. There are also an increasing number of reports on a looming famine in Gaza.
The devastating war came after Hamas-led terrorists killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages to Gaza during their massacre on October 7, 2023. More than 450 Israeli soldiers have subsequently been killed fighting in the Strip.