Macron tells Netanyahu ordeal of Gaza civilians 'must end'

France's President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that he told Israel's leader in a phone call that the suffering of Gazan civilians "must end" and that only a ceasefire in Gaza could free remaining Israeli hostages.

"The ordeal the civilian populations of Gaza are going through must end," Macron posted on X after the talk with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for "the opening of all humanitarian aid crossings" into the besieged Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu told Macron that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be a "huge reward for terrorism".

A statement released by Netanyahu's office said the two leaders spoke by phone and the Israeli prime minister expressed to the French leader his "strong opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, stating that it would be a huge reward for terrorism".