The French president Emmanuel Macron raised his tone against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today by reiterating his “strong opposition” to an Israeli operation in Rafah and warning that the “forced transfer of the population constitutes a war crime”.

On the same wavelength and the vice president of the USA, Kamala Harris, who sent a message to Tel Aviv that there will be consequences.

During the phone conversation with the head of the Israeli government, the French leader also reiterated his call for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza” and condemned “unequivocally the recent Israeli settlement announcements” as Israel announced on Friday the confiscation of 8,000 acres of land in the occupied West Bank in order to build new Jewish settlements there.

The French president also informed him Benjamin Netanyahu of his intention to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to call for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire”.

Moscow and Beijing on Friday objected to a similar proposed resolution by Washington, specifically denouncing a “hypocritical” text.

Five and a half months of disastrous war sank her Gaza Strip in a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

The French president insisted that Israel open “without delay and without conditions all existing land crossing points to the Gaza Strip”.

War broke out on October 7 after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israeli soil killed at least 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli sources.

According to the same sources, nearly 250 people were kidnapped, of which 130 are still being held hostage in Gaza while 33 are believed to have died.

In retaliation, the Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007. Its army has launched an operation that has already killed 32,226 people in Gaza, according to the latest tally from the Islamist movement’s health ministry.