Macron-Large Scale Attack On Rafah Would Mark 'Turning Point' In War

Wires carrying comments from French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Macron reiterates that the 'absolute priortiy' is for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Macron says that the death toll from the war is 'inteolerable', and that he shares concerns with Jordan and Egypt over the forced displacement of those in the southern city of Rafah. Macron says that a 'large scale offensive' in Rafah would 'mark a turning point in the conflict', implying that French support for Israel's actions could be reversed.

• Macron says parties 'must avoid regional escalation, especially in Lebanon and the Red Sea'.
• Speaking alongside Macron in Paris, Jordan's King Abdullah II says that an Israeli attack on Rafah 'would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences that cannot be accepted'.
• Reportsemerged on 15 Feb that Macron had told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that France would not support an assault on Rafah.
• There have already been voices raised at the EU level opposing any IDF assault on Rafah, with the PM's of Spain and Ireland sending Commission President Ursula von der Leyen a letter to that effect on 14 Feb. Should be noted that Spain and Ireland are seen as two of the most pro-Palestnian EU member states.