Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron, stating he “once again chose to stand” with Hamas.
“Instead of supporting the Western democratic camp fighting the Islamist terrorist organisations and calling for the release of the hostages, Macron is once again demanding that Israel surrender and reward terrorism,” Netanyahu said in a post on X Wednesday.
“Israel will not stop and will not surrender,” he added.
The Israeli PM’s words came in reaction to a televised three-hour interview with Macron on Tuesday night, when the French president said Europe should consider sanctioning Israel, where hundreds of thousands are thought to be now facing starvation.
“What he’s doing is shameful,” Macron said of Netanyahu during an interview on TF1 television.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war, now in its 19th month, started when the militant group staged an assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.
