Israel's aid access to Gaza insufficient, offensive must stop, France says

By John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) - Israel's easing of humanitarian aid access to Gaza is insufficient, France's foreign minister said on Tuesday, warning its ally that the new offensive on Gaza had to stop or there would be consequences.

Facing mounting pressure over an aid blockade it imposed in March and the risk of famine, Israel on Monday eased its blockade and let limited amounts of food into Gaza.

But it has also stepped up its military campaign in the enclave, where Palestinian health officials said hundreds have been killed in attacks in the past week, including 130 overnight.

"It is unsustainable because the violence is blinding the Israeli government's blocking of humanitarian aid. Gaza is being turned into a death camp, not to say a cemetery," Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio.

The Israeli campaign, triggered after Hamas Islamist militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, has devastated Gaza and pushed nearly all of its two million residents from their homes. The offensive has killed more than 53,000 people, many of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Five U.N. trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food for babies, were allowed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Monday.

"This is completely insufficient," Barrot said. "All this must stop. We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Gazans. This aid must be immediate, massive and without any hindrance."

In a rare strongly-worded statement, the leaders of Britain, Canada and France on Monday threatened concrete actions against Israel if it did not stop the renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift aid restrictions, piling further pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, they did not outline what actions could be taken and diplomats said the countries will remain prudent given their close strategic partnership with Israel in the region.

When asked what concrete measures the three were referring to, Barrot indicated that at European Union level there was a growing call from some countries, including France, to review a long-standing association agreement with Israel to determine whether it is reneging on the clauses related to human rights.

"Once (human rights) violations are established then it is possible that the (accord) can be suspended," Barrot said, adding that such a decision would have a trade impact on Israel.

"The images coming back to us from Gaza, the situation of civilians, women and children, force us today to move forward," he said.

(Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by William Maclean)