The French Foreign Ministry said it deplored the Israeli attack on Rafah launched on Tuesday and described the military operation as threatening to “cause a catastrophic situation for the civilian population of Gaza”.

In a statement, the ministry said that civilians in Gaza have “no safe area” and called on Israel to stop its military offensive against Rafah and return to negotiations, which is said was “the only possible path to lead to the immediate release of hostages and obtain a lasting ceasefire”.

France also called on Israel to reopen the Rafah border crossings between Gaza and Egypt, so that humanitarian aid can enter the Palestinian territory, and denounced Israeli settler attacks on aid shipments destined for Gaza, adding that Israeli authorities should put an end to “settler violence”.