Gaza humanitarian crisis 'intolerable', Macron says

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
16 May 2025 23:12

French President Emmanuel says the humanitarian situation in Gaza “intolerable” and plans to raise the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

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Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza on Friday, calling the crisis “intolerable” and urging immediate action. Speaking during a summit of European leaders in Albania, Macron emphasized the urgency of an international response.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable," Macron told reporters, adding, "We are reaching a level that we have never seen before, in terms of the humanitarian impact, since the beginning of this."

Macron to discuss Gaza crisis with Netanyahu, Trump

The French president said that his priority was to help secure a ceasefire between "Israel" and the Palestinian resistance, and to restore humanitarian aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip.

"I will have the opportunity to speak about this with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and I have also raised the matter with President Trump," Macron added, underscoring France’s involvement in Gaza ceasefire efforts in 2025 and his plan for talks with Netanyahu and Trump to ease the crisis.

UN rejects Trump's aid plan, citing potential bias

US President Donald Trump, who wrapped up a Middle East tour on Friday, has also acknowledged the worsening situation in Gaza. Despite no public breakthrough in ceasefire negotiations, Trump noted the growing hunger crisis in Gaza and the pressing need to facilitate aid deliveries.

The United Nations announced on Thursday that it will not participate in a US-backed humanitarian operation in Gaza, citing concerns over the plan’s failure to meet core humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

"This particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles," said Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq during a press briefing. "We will not be participating in this."

The initiative, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is set to begin operations by the end of May. It has faced criticism from humanitarian organizations and UN officials who warn that the structure and oversight of the plan could compromise aid delivery and exacerbate tensions in the blockaded strip.

The GHF, led by the United States, has requested that the Israeli occupation expand a limited number of secure aid distribution sites in southern Gaza to the more heavily affected north within 30 days. It has also asked for UN agencies and other organizations to resume aid deliveries temporarily until the foundation is fully operational.

Gaza Ministry reports 109 martyrs in 24 hours

Israeli forces continued their relentless genocide in the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing at least 109 Palestinians and wounding 216 others within 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Among the dead was one body recovered from beneath the rubble.

A preliminary toll from the early hours of Friday until midday recorded 93 martyrs and over 200 injuries, amid what local officials described as a series of "massacres and targeted attacks" on densely populated civilian areas.

The latest casualties bring the overall death toll since the Israeli war began on October 7, 2023, to 53,119, with more than 120,214 wounded, according to health authorities.

Since March 18, 2025, alone, Israeli attacks have killed 2,985 Palestinians and injured 8,173, marking one of the bloodiest periods in the ongoing war.