BBC News - Macron calls on Israel to stop killing Gaza's women and babies

Yup, the EU lost their minds in the beginning. I don't know what Ursula was thinking going over there and giving her support when some EU countries were opposed to it. Almost a month ago Ireland upped it's aid for 2023 to Palestine by 13million to bring the total to 29million. I'm glad countries like Ireland and Spain aren't screaming into a void anymore but it is incredibly frustrating that it took so long and so many deaths for some countries to see what was obvious to others right from the very start.

He visited Israel a few weeks ago, said that the international effort against ISIS should be expanded to include fighting Hamas and that France was ready to be involved in that. He said the fight against Hamas should be "without mercy but not without rules", and has been strong in his condemnation of Hamas's terrorism. He met with the families of hostages and said that getting hostages back should be a first priority, he called Hamas threatening to execute hostages odious and unacceptable. His government also banned pro-Palestinian protests.

I think his opinion of Hamas and their actions is pretty clear.

Ireland's politicians have spoken out, they are not the only ones others have as well.

And I'm sick of people commenting oh get Hamas to stop hiding behind the women and children. We know Hamas are awful but the Palestinian infants, children, women and innocent civilians are not hamas - the Palestinians are deal with the brutality and genocide by Israle and also suffering from Hamas sacrificing them.

Bingo. At the beginning of All this eu wanted to remove financial support from Gaza. Luckily a few countries said no way! Ireland and Spain between them. Who have been really critical with the Israel government.

Quite! For Macron to say that you’ve gone too far against the Muslims is also quite something. Makes his hijab ban look like MuslimHateLite.exe

Trying to shut the gate after the horse has got out

And the horse has already gone on a massive genocidal rampage

They should call it out for what it is a genocidal land grab

Some other countries have been calling it out for quite a while. Countries like Ireland and Belgium have no power though so it is great that a powerful country like France is standing up and saying enough. Germany, the US and the UK need to follow suit now.

Exactly
Really I think all of these politicians who are only just starting to speak up now are just saving their own backs
They have realised how deranged Netanyahu is and in future won't want to be seen as being complicit in a genocide

It's becoming increasingly difficult to travel safely to the Rafah crossing and out of Gaza - today the small number of medical evacuees couldn't get there again

So how would that work for over 200 hostages if Hamas simply released them?

Well done to him for saying it but it took a lot of deaths for him to reach the humane conclusion.

Finally someone said it

Problem is you can't criticise Israel without being labelled anti-Semitic.

The humanitarian pause allows the IDF to refuel and restock weapons.

One of the frustrating things about the BBC live feed is it's really hard to link back to a story. But, at the time, BBC coverage made clear that a deal on returning the hostages was in the final stages, then Netanyahu launched the ground offensive, and the whole things collapsed.

I'm reasonably confident that, for Netanyahu, the hostages are far more useful held by Hamas where they serve as a justification for the ongoing military response than they would be back home. I do not for a moment think that that is the perspective of the Israeli people and, of course, it doesn't in any way undermine the horror that is taking hostages in the first place. But it is abundantly clear that freeing the hostages is not Netanyahu's first priority.

They most certainly should
Nobody deserves it. Netanyahu would have to agree to pause the fighting for the safe passage of the hostage to be released.
And Israel should also release the minors and innocent palestinians held without charge or trial in Israeli jails

Of course they should. Just like Israel should do the humanitarian thing and stop the massacre in Gaza.

@OuiOuiKitty well then maybe Hamas should do the humanitarian thing and just release them

Wished he also remembered about men. Many are innocent as well.

also , it’s time they start putting the same sanctions they put on Russia. Hit them in their wallets

finally he’s not the first one. I believe irelands pm has criticised loads Israel. I’ve seen someone from Belgium’s government as well. And half of Spanish government (it’s a coalition) have been criticising Israel since the beginning

About fucking time.

Netanyahu has rejected a deal for the hostages return. He appears to have rejected more than one. Perhaps you should be asking why that is?

Bravo Macron

Does a humanitarian pause mean that the hostages get to come home for the weekend? The children and babies?

They will all start saying it now, one by one
But it's already far too late
Shame on all of them for allowing it to reach this stage before they decide to speak up

It's so shameful that even Macron has the decency to call this out and our own PM is still silent