French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday reaffirmed his wish to see a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and said there were no double standards in French policy towards the Middle East.
Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits. The French president was speaking in Indonesia.
“Only a political solution will make it possible to restore peace and build for the long term,” Macron said.
“Together with Saudi Arabia, we will soon be organising a conference on Gaza in New York to give fresh impetus to the recognition of a Palestinian state and the recognition of the State of Israel and its right to live in peace and security in this region.”
16 more killed in Israeli strikes
Earlier on Wednesday, Gaza rescuers said 16 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the besieged Palestinian territory, where Israel has intensified its operations this month.
“Sixteen people have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since dawn”, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
Among them, nine belonged to the family of photojournalist Osama al-Arbeed and were killed in a strike on their home in Gaza’s north at 2am, Bassal said.
He added that Arbeed was injured, noting that he is a videographer and editor at a local film production organisation.
Another six members of the same family were killed in central Gaza in a strike that left 15 people wounded, “including children”.
One other person, a civilian per Bassal, was killed near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes, saying it could not do so without precise coordinates.
Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza this month, aiming for “the defeat of Hamas”, more than 18 months after the group’s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.
Some 1,218 people were killed in that attack, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Hamas group also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Monday that at least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,977, mostly civilians.
