Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Macron once again demanded Israel's surrender and rewarded terrorism,” Netanyahu said in an article on Wednesday's X account.
Macron has previously criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, as he has often done in the past.
“Macron once again chose to stand with a murdered Islamic terrorist organization and echoed his mean propaganda, accusing Israel of bloody slander,” the statement continued.
The term “blood slander” refers to the false anti-Semitic accusations against Jews since the Middle Ages.
Netanyahu went on to argue that Israel has been fighting for its existence in several ways after the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. Dozens of French citizens were also murdered and kidnapped at the time.
“What the Benjamin Netanyahu government is doing is unacceptable,” Macron told French TV channel TF1 on Tuesday. He said that humanitarian aid from France and other countries to the Gaza people was blocked by Israel.
Macron calls it a shame. France has always recognized Israel's right to defend itself, but it also makes it clear that the solution is not a chance attack on the Gaza Strip.
Since early March, Israel has not allowed any aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. The country accused Hamas of reselling aid supplies to make a profit in order to finance its fighters and weapons. Israel's army said it avoided attacks from civilians.
Hamas-controlled health authorities say thousands of Palestinians were killed during the war. According to reports in the Gaza Strip, many civilian casualties were also reported in the Israeli attack. The information provided by both parties cannot be verified independently at present.
