Ilayda Cakirtekin
13 May 2025•Update: 14 May 2025
ISTANBUL
The French president called the situation in the Gaza Strip a “humanitarian tragedy” and “unacceptable” on Tuesday.
“There is no water. There are no medicines. We can no longer evacuate the wounded. Doctors can no longer get in,” Emmanuel Macron told the TF1 broadcaster.
“What is happening is a disgrace,” he added.
He reiterated the need to reopen access to humanitarian aid, underlining that the “only way” to achieve a “political solution” is through a “Palestinian state and an Israeli state living side by side, recognizing each other.”
Asked whether it was appropriate to use “genocide” to describe the situation, Macron said it was up to “historians.”
“It is not for a president of the republic to say 'this is a genocide' or ‘this is not one’," he explained.
Macron responded that he is “open” to reviewing cooperation agreements between Europe and Israel, when he was asked about the possibility of sanctions against Israel.
“I say this to you in all conscience: We cannot act as if nothing is happening. So, we are going to have to increase the pressure on these issues,” he added.
