DUBAI: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot voiced support on Tuesday for a joint appeal made with Saudi Arabia at the United Nations for the release of hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and its exclusion from any future role in governing a Palestinian state.
Warning that any expansion of Israeli military operations into Gaza City and the Al-Mawasi area would be “a recipe for disaster,” the minister said such a move would cause more civilian casualties, endanger hostages, and risk turning the conflict into a war without end.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his vision of victory in Gaza following 22 months of war - with the military ordered to attack the last remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps further south.
With a pre-war population of some 760,000, according to official figures, Gaza City was the biggest of any municipal area in the Palestinian territories.
The Barrot called for a permanent ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid, while proposing a temporary international stabilization mission under a UN mandate to lay the groundwork for lasting peace.
