His comments come a day after Israel’s military said expanded operations in Gaza would include displacing “most” of its residents, after the country’s security cabinet approved a plan that an Israeli official said will entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”.

“It’s unacceptable,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a radio interview, adding the Israeli government was “in violation of humanitarian law”.

Israel’s decision comes as the United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.

Nearly all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war, sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel.