France’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the country is "gravely concerned" by Israel's announcement that it will intensify and prolong fighting against Hamas in Gaza, the AFP news agency reported.
Paris "strongly reiterates its call for an immediate truce leading to a ceasefire", the ministry said. It added that it condemns what it described as "systematic bombing that has again left many civilian victims in recent days".
While the statement did not specifically mention it, it appears as though it was talking about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments during a meeting with IDF Intelligence Unit 9900 on Tuesday.
Netanyahu said at the conclusion of the visit, "We have soldiers on the ground, sometimes underground, and we have eyes in the sky."
"We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will reach you. We are continuing the war, and are intensifying the fighting in the southern Gaza Strip and other places. We will fight to the end, with the help of the most advanced technology," he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron has previously been critical of Israel’s fight against Hamas.
In an interview last month with the BBC, the French President said that Israel "should stop killing women and babies in Gaza".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the French President's comments in a press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz, saying that Macron "made a grave error" and adding, "We don't need these moral lectures."
A French political official later rejected Netanyahu's criticism, clarifying that Macron "has not changed his position" on Israeli action against Hamas but believes that Israel can and should do more to prevent harm to Palestinian Arab civilians in Gaza.
Macron recently appeared to cast doubt on Israel’s ability to eradicate Hamas, calling on Israel to clarify its goals in the war and claiming that totally destroying the organization could take 10 years.
Last week, the French President once again criticized Israel’s response to the Hamas October 7 attack, saying that fighting terrorism did not mean "to flatten Gaza".
He called on Israel "to stop this response because it is not appropriate, because all lives are worth the same and we defend them".