France Rejects Israel To Force Palestinians In Gaza

Israel's military aggression in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. (doc. Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - France refuses to forcefully transfer Palestinians to the Gaza Strip by Israel.

"France opposes the forced transfer of residents. It is very clear... We will not support the forced transfer of citizens," said France's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Nicolas de Riviere on Tuesday, January 3, in a statement.

"It is clear that the Gaza Strip is inhabited by Palestinians. Our goal is for Palestinians to continue to live there safely and in good condition. That must be a priority," he continued.

His remarks came after several Israeli officials called for "voluntary evacuation" of Palestinians from Gaza and urged various countries to accept Palestinians from the enclave.

Riviere menjelaskan, menutup akses ke Gaza atau melakukan kolonasi kembali di Gaza adalah "ide yang tidak masuk".

He added that efforts to end military operations and not target civilians were important.

"Palestinians must be able to live peacefully in their homes, and the bombing of civilians in the Gaza Strip must end. Hospitals, schools, have been destroyed... We want this to end soon," he said.

However, he said the Palestinian resistance group Hamas "used civilian populations as human shields, hiding in schools".

"That's true. However, if there's any doubt, you shouldn't bomb the school," he said.

Stressing the need for protection for civilians, de Riviere said there were 2 million civilians in Gaza, not 2 million terrorists.

Israel launched non-stop air and landstrikes in the Palestinian enclave since the Hamas resistance group attacked the Zionist nation on October 7, which Israel says killed nearly 1,200 of its citizens.

Israel's countermeasures have killed at least 22,185 Palestinians and injured 57,035 others, according to health authorities in Gaza.

A wave of Israeli attacks has caused destruction in Gaza, where 60 percent of infrastructure is damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million of its population displaced amid food shortages, clean water and medicines.