France's Macron: Civilians in Gaza must be protected to avoid 'flare-up' in the region

Israel must privilege targeted attacks against Hamas, not a massive land invasion, says French President

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference at an EU summit. AFP

The death of civilians in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas must stop to avoid a “flare-up” in the region, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.

“This war against terrorists must be done in a way that distinguishes them from the start with the civilian population,” Mr Macron, who avoided directly blaming Israel, told reporters in Brussels.

“Otherwise, there is a risk of flare-up and confusion of minds and paradoxically, I think that it is counterproductive for Israel's security.

“If millions of people start thinking that their brothers and sisters are dying in the name of the fight against Hamas, they'll end up rallying their cause.

“That's very dangerous.”

The French President was speaking at the end of a two-day summit of the EU's 27 heads of state that was overshadowed by the war in the Middle East.

He called for a “humanitarian truce” to protect Palestinian civilians, particularly those in hospital.

“We must be clear-eyed. We are in a war situation which is set to last because the war against Hamas will not end quickly and we see a rise in tensions everywhere,” he said.

The EU has strongly supported Israel's right to defend itself after the Hamas attacks on October 7 killed more than 1,400 people.

But there has been growing unease over the death of more than 7,000 Palestinians in Israel's retaliatory bombardment of the Gaza strip.

The bloc's heads of state endorsed a joint statement on Friday calling for “humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs”.

Palestinians check the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Israeli soldiers and military vehicles near the border with Gaza. EPA

Palestinians injured in Israeli air raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

Protesters call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attack. AFP

The protest was held near the headquarters of the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv. AFP

Smoke and flames rise from buildings after an Israeli strike on Gaza City. AFP

Destruction in Gaza City after an Israeli air strike. AFP

A wounded Palestinian is taken into Al Shifa hospital after Israeli air strikes on Gaza City. AP

Israelis at a cemetery in Holon during a funeral take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. AP

Posters of hostages abducted by Hamas form part of an installation consisting of 224 light pillars erected by the Jerusalem municipality outside Teddy Stadium. AFP

Supporters of Palestine hold a rally in New York's financial district to demand that American financial institutions stop financing weapons manufacturing. AFP

Army rescue crews assess the damage after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a building in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel. Getty Images

Israeli strikes as seen from a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians. Reuters

Israeli armoured vehicles take part in an operation, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, at a location given as the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian man is comforted as he mourns the death of his daughter and his wife, who were killed by Israeli strikes. Reuters

Satellite view of damaged areas in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza as a result of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Reuters

Beit Hanoun was hit by Israeli missiles. Reuters

Two brothers on a stretcher after being rescued from beneath the rubble of a destroyed area in Gaza. EPA

Israeli security forces gather along a cordoned-off street where an apartment building was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza, in Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv. AFP

Rescuers in front of an apartment building hit by a rocket in the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. AFP

Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers handle humanitarian aid bound for Gaza at a warehouse in Arish, Egypt. EPA

Men lower one of the coffins during the funeral of British-Israelis Lianne Sharabi and her daughters Noiya Sharabi, 16, and Yahel Sharabi, 13, in Kfar Harif, Israel. EPA

An Israeli soldier in a ruined house in the kibbutz of Beeri, near the border with Gaza. EPA

The aftermath of wide-scale strikes, which Israel says struck Hamas emergency operational apparatus, including war rooms, infrastructure and military headquarters, in Gaza. Reuters

Palestinians search for casualties after Israeli attacks on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Rescuers look for casualties in Khan Younis. Reuters

Palestinian Ali Daba and his wife have separated their children and given them bracelets to help identify them in case they are killed in Israeli strikes. Their daughter shows her bracelet at their shelter in Khan Younis. Reuters

In Tel Aviv, teddy bears with their eyes covered and signs of injury go on show to highlight the young children and babies missing, believed to be being held by Hamas. Getty

Palestinians near the rubble of a building following overnight Israeli strikes on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society distribute aid in Deir Al Balah, in the Gaza Strip. Reuters

Pro-Israel, left, and pro-Palestine protesters face off during a demonstration in reaction to the Gaza conflict, in central Atlanta, Georgia. EPA

Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir Jan who was taken hostage by Hamas while attending the Nova festival in Israel, at the family's home in Or Yehuda. Reuters

A soldier puts on protective gear in Ramle, Israel, as he prepares to identify those killed by Hamas during the October 7 attack. Getty Images

Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes arrive at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, centre, speaks with the father of one of the hostages held by Hamas, before a UN Security Council meeting in New York. EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attend a meeting in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. EPA

Survivors of Israel's bombardment of Gaza being treated at a trauma ward at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. AFP

Smoke rises after an air strike on Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. Reuters

A woman holds placards identifying one of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas during a demonstration in Tel Aviv. AFP

Mr Macron, who visited Israel earlier this week, pleaded for the country to avoid a massive land invasion of Gaza and to favour targeted attacks against Hamas.

The French President also acknowledged the difficulty for Israel to take aim at Hamas in the densely populated 360-square-kilometre enclave.

The Israeli military has accused the Palestinian militant group, labelled a terrorist organisation by the EU, of using the main hospital in Gaza as a shield for its tunnels and operational centres.

“When I tell them to re-establish electricity for hospitals, they tell me that Hamas is hooked up on the same hospital systems,” said Mr Macron.

“I understand the Israeli authorities' difficulties. I am very respectful when I say that time is needed to prepare and create conditions either for other electricity systems for these hospitals, or to evacuate these people.”

Mr Macron called for relaunching peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian leadership.

He described them as necessary to satisfy those who feel that their calls for a political solution to the conflict have been ignored.

“If you don't bring a response to the political question, these people start feeling sympathy – and we may regret it – for very violent actions,” said Mr Macron, in an allusion to the Hamas attacks which also enabled them to take more than 220 people hostage.

Finding a political solution while also helping Israel better attack Hamas fighters is “good for us” and “good for the security of Israel”, according to Mr Macron.

In Friday's conclusions, EU leaders also called for “the holding of an international peace conference soon” at the initiative of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Spain wants to bring the UN on board with the idea before figuring out details like a time and place for the summit, an EU official told The National.

Madrid hopes that all parties to the conflict will be represented, but the priority now is on responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they said.

Speaking on Thursday ahead of the summit, Mr Sanchez said he personally supported calling for a ceasefire.

Yet there was no consensus on such language among member states, which are deeply divided on the Israel-Palestine question.

Some leaders like German chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated their strong support for Israel's right to defend itself.

Unlike other European leaders, Mr Scholz went as far as to say that Israel would surely follow rules of international law due to its democratic nature.

His position contrasted with Mr Macron's. The French President said he had a “special thought” for civilians and employees of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees killed by Israeli shelling.

“We cannot pretend nothing is happening. These people have nothing to do with terrorism,” Mr Macron said.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, on Friday said that “aid operations are crumbling”. He confirmed that 57 of the agency's staff had been killed during the war.