French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his support of Israel and its right to defend itself in a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday.
The call comes after Macron's interview last Friday on the BBC, which caused an uproar in Israel and internationally.
"De facto - today civilians are being bombed," Macron said in the interview. "These babies, these women, these old people are being bombed and killed. So there is no reason for it and no legitimacy. So we do plead with Israel to stop."
Speaking to Herzog, Macron said he didn't intend to accuse Israel of intentionally harming innocent civilians during its ongoing campaign in the Gaza Strip to wipe out Hamas.
This is a developing story.