France to send navy ship to 'support' Gaza hospitals, says Macron

Shafaq News/ French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that humanitarian aid must enter in Gaza without obstacles, adding that a French navy ship would arrive soon to help bring support to Gaza's hospitals and that a plane will arrive in Egypt with key supplies.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, Macron said that "France does not practise double standards", pushing back against criticism of his government's response to war between Israel and Hamas militants.

Macron also said that it was necessary to avoid regional escalation following the conflict between Israel and Hamas, adding that a two-state solution was necessary for peace in the Middle East.

"It is not because it is an old idea (a two-state solution) that it is an obsolete idea," he said.

Al-Sisi said he had agreed with Macron to work to contain the crisis in Gaza, introduce aid and seek to prevent other parties from entering the conflict.

He added that Macron understood that any displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza strip towards Egyptian territory would be "extremely dangerous".

"We condemn all actions that affect all civilians and this should be addressed with one standard," al-Sisi added.

Macron's visit to Egypt comes as a UN agency warned it could be forced to stop aid operations in Gaza on Wednesday due to dwindling fuel supplies in the Palestinian enclave.