France’s Macron Labels Rafah Forced Transfer as Potential 'War Crime'

According to France24, Macron also "strongly condemned" Israel's announcement Friday of the seizure of 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank for new settlements, said his office.

Activists say Israel's declaration that the land in the northern Jordan Valley was now "state land" was the single largest such seizure in decades.

Macron also repeated his opposition to any Israeli military operation in Rafah, where most of Gaza's population has taken shelter after months of fierce war in the besieged territory.

In the call, Macron told Netanyahu he intended to bring a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for "an immediate and lasting ceasefire". He urged Israel to immediately open all crossing points into Gaza.

Macron also had talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II, during which they discussed the "unjustifiable humanitarian situation in Gaza", said the Elysee Palace. Forcing civilians to run the risk of famine was "unjustifiable", the two leaders said.

US Vice President Kamala Harris said Washington has been “clear” that a military operation on Rafah in southern Gaza would be a “huge mistake”.

“I have studied the maps. There is nowhere for those folks to go and we’re looking at about a million and a half people in Rafah who are there because they were told to go there,” Harris told ABC News on Sunday.

The US, Israel’s closest ally, has vetoed three resolutions demanding a ceasefire.

The planned Rafah ground offensive has faced intense international pressure, with warnings it would cause mass civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis.

Since October 7, Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in at least 32,226 Palestinian deaths and 74,518 injuries.