"France wants to evacuate its citizens as soon as possible from the Gaza Strip, which is under heavy bombardment by Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron said, Agence France-Presse reported.
"We want to evacuate them as soon as possible. This is what we are organizing both with the Palestinian Authority and with Egypt. And this is what several other European countries want to do in coordination with us," Macron said during a press conference after two-day summit of European leaders in Brussels.
The French president also called for a "humanitarian truce" in the conflict between Hamas and Israel to ensure the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Acknowledging Israel's "right" to "fight terrorism", Macron cited "the total blockade, the indiscriminate bombing and even more the prospect of a large-scale ground operation" as "risks to civilians".
He called for a "humanitarian truce" to protect the people of Gaza, who face an Israeli bombardment triggered by the October 7 Hamas attack. /BGNES
