Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday of standing with Hamas after Macron said Israel's policy in Gaza was "shameful."
"Macron has once again chosen to side with a murderous Islamist terrorist organization and echo its false propaganda, while accusing Israel of blood libels," the prime minister wrote in a statement.
"Instead of supporting the Western democratic camp fighting Islamist terror groups and calling for the release of the hostages, Macron is once again demanding that Israel surrender and reward terrorism."
Netanyahu added Israel was sticking to its war aims of securing the release of its hostages, defeating Hamas, and ensuring Gaza poses no threat to Israel.
Additionally, Defense Minister Israel Katz asserted that "President Macron should not preach morality to us."
"It is expected that someone who calls himself a friend of Israel would stand by Israel in its war against the murderous terrorist organization Hamas and the Iranian axis of evil that seeks to destroy the State of Israel—rather than try to deny it the right to self-defense," he wrote in a statement on X/Twitter.
He added that the IDF "operates with a level of morality that is unmatched, under difficult and complex circumstances—certainly far more than anything France has done in its past wars."
Italian, Spanish PM criticize Israel's actions in Gaza
After Macron's comments, other European leaders weighed in on the Israeli government's policy in Gaza.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has become increasingly "dramatic and unjustifiable."
"Over the past months I have spoken with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu on several occasions, and the conversations have often been difficult," Meloni told a question time session in the Italian lower house of parliament on Wednesday.
"I have always recalled the urgency of finding a way to end the hostilities and respect international law and international humanitarian law. A request that I renew today," Meloni said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused Israel of genocide in Gaza in a statement on Wednesday.
“We will not engage in trade with a country committing genocide,” he said.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.