French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Egyptian city of El-Arish, a key transit point for Gaza-bound aid, on Tuesday when he called on Israel to lift its blockade of aid deliveries to the war-battered Palestinian territory, reports Radio France Internationale.
Alongside his Egyptian host Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Macron toured a hospital in the port city, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, and met with medical professionals and sick and wounded Palestinians evacuated from Gaza.
Carrying a bouquet of red roses to give to patients, the French president visited several wards as well as a play area for children.
His office said the trip was aimed at piling pressure on Israel for "the reopening of crossing points for the delivery of humanitarian goods into Gaza".
Israel cut off aid to Gaza in early March, during an impasse over next steps in a ceasefire with Hamas. Later in March, Israel resumed intense bombardment across the territory and restarted ground operations.
Emergency department doctor Mahmud Mohammad Elshaer said the hospital had treated around 1,200 Palestinian patients since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
"Some days we can receive 100 patients, others 50," Elshaer said, adding that many had sustained limb amputations or eye or brain injuries.
In Cairo, Macron, Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II called for an "immediate return" to the ceasefire.
Read more of this AFP report published by RFI.