By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - France on Tuesday voiced "deep concern" over the rising number of civilian casualties, particularly children, and the displacement of people caused by the ongoing Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank.
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing distress over the ongoing violence, calling attention to the growing humanitarian crisis.
"The way the use of force is being employed by the Israeli army in the West Bank is extremely concerning," the statement read.
France urged Israeli authorities to exercise maximum restraint in their military actions and to fully comply with international humanitarian law, emphasizing the need to protect civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The statement also underscored that children must never be targeted in any conflict.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The settlement building came as the Israeli army escalated its onslaught on Palestinian areas in the West Bank, where more than 30 Palestinians have been killed and thousands displaced by Israeli raids in the occupied territory since Jan. 21.
The Israeli escalation follows a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza on Jan. 19, after more than 15 months of Israeli bombardment which has killed nearly 48,200 Palestinians and devastated the enclave.
Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 910 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.