French President Emmanuel Macron has refused to say whether Israel was guilty of “breaking international humanitarian law and [committing] potential war crimes”.

“I’m not a judge. I’m a head of state,” he said, adding it would not be right to criticise Israel in this way — “a partner and a friend” — just a month after it was attacked.

He added: “We do share [Israel’s] pain. And we do share their willingness to get rid of terrorism. We know what terrorism means in France.”