Barrot finds recent Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital 'totally unacceptable'
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday called for increased pressure on the Israeli government following its strikes on the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza.
"That is totally unacceptable, and that is why France believes pressure must be stepped up on the Israeli government," Barrot told the broadcaster RTL.
Stressing that Tel Aviv’s attitude and decisions are now “being denounced,” including within Israeli civil society, he reaffirmed that he will propose to his counterparts measures against Israeli interests for as long as their “demands remain unmet.”
At least 47 Palestinians, including six journalists, were killed Monday and dozens were injured in fresh Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to medics.
The Health Ministry initially said 20 people were killed, including five journalists and a firefighter, in an Israeli strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
It said the Israeli army hit the fourth floor of one of the complex’s buildings with two airstrikes, noting that the second strike occurred as rescue teams arrived to evacuate the wounded and recover the dead.
Among the deceased was Hussam al-Masri, who worked as a photojournalist for the Reuters news agency, while the Qatari channel Al Jazeera confirmed that its photographer Mohammad Salama was also killed.
A medical source confirmed to Anadolu the death of photojournalist Mariam Abu Dagga.
Photojournalist Moaz Abu Taha was also killed in the Israeli strike targeting the hospital.
Medical sources also told Anadolu that Ahmed Abu Aziz, a freelance reporter with Tunisian and Moroccan news sites, died of injuries he sustained in the Israeli strike.
Israel has killed more than 62,700 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
