Israel should protect itself from militant's rockets but must show restraint to not further fuel "a highly sensitive situation in the Middle East", French President Francois Hollande said Monday.
"Israel has the right of safety and to defend itself. But it must show restraint. I do not mean that I'm pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli, but I'm for peace," Xinhua quoted Hollande as telling TV channels.
In a July 14 interview, Hollande urged rival parties to "swiftly reach a cease-fire", to avoid disastrous causalities.
He said "the role of France is to seek all the ways of mediations to prevent "escalation in the region", and "consequences in France".
"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be brought in France," the president said.
"I say very strongly: there will be no tolerance for any particular intrusion or against this or that uncontrolled behaviors because anti-Semitism cannot be used because there is a conflict between Israel and Palestine," he stressed.
Last Tuesday, Israel began the Operation Protective Edge in order to stop rocket attacks from Gaza.
So far, the strikes killed at least 167 Palestinians and wounded more than 780, according to reports. The UN estimates that about 80 percent of the casualties were civilians.
