PARIS — Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, that an overall cease-fire in Gaza now would be “irresponsible” and a “gift for Hamas.” He was reacting to the recent resolution by the United Nations, supported by Paris, for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. The two ministers met in Tel Aviv on Sunday morning, at the beginning of Colonna’s tour to the region.
Addressing journalists at Ben Gurion Airport at the end of her one-day visit to Israel, Colonna reiterated France’s "concerns over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. And when I say concerned, the word is weak, because the situation we see on the ground is catastrophic and even more than catastrophic. It's tragic."
Colonna then said that France is calling for a new humanitarian truce as soon as possible. "An immediate and lasting cease-fire is needed, so that aid can reach 2 million Palestinians," she added. "Israel must preserve the lives of the civilian population, as it is obliged to do under international law, and must engage in a cease-fire."
Colonna also expressed sorrow over the death of a Palestinian man who had worked for several years for the French Institute in Gaza, and was apparently killed in an Israeli bombing Dec. 15. She said her ministry has asked the Israeli authorities for clarifications over the circumstances of his death.
