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- France considers sanctioning Israel to allow more aid into Gaza
France considers sanctioning Israel to allow more aid into Gaza
Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné's statements come as a record number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Israel
France could impose sanctions on Israel in order to encourage it to open more checkpoints for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
That's according to French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, who discussed the possibility in an interview with France 24 and RFI on Tuesday.
"There must be levers of influence and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions to let humanitarian aid cross check points," Séjourné said. The minister stressed the need to put pressure on the Israeli government.
The statements come as a record number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Israel. It announced that about 419 humanitarian aid trucks whose cargo had previously been inspected were able to enter the enclave. According to Israel, this is the largest number of trucks that have entered Gaza in a single day since the war that began. Before the war, nearly 500 trucks entered Gaza every day, according to a humanitarian source.
When asked about recognition of a Palestinian state, Séjourné said that such an initiative was "not useful" if it was not "introduced via a peace process."
On Tuesday morning, French President Emanuel Macron, Jordan's King Abdullah, and Egyptian President Fatah el-Sisi co-wrote an open letter published in The Washington Post calling for an immediate ceasefire.