PARIS

France urged Israel on Thursday to respect international humanitarian law and ensure aid delivery.

“France, like the International Court of Justice, calls on Israel to lift all obstacles and to allow the safe and unhindered distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

The ministry also urged Israel to ensure the protection of the civilian population and humanitarian workers.

“Hindering rescue delivery under the provisions of the Geneva Conventions can represent a crime that falls within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,” added the spokesperson.

Israel has waged a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which killed less than 1,200 people.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while over 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara