France condemns Israeli Gaza foray

France issued another blunt criticism of Israel today over its Gaza Strip incursions.

France issued another blunt criticism of Israel today over its Gaza Strip incursions.

The situation on the ground remains serious and worrying, foreign ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau said.

"The reprisals by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip are leading to reprehensible tension. They add uselessly to the sufferings of the civilian populations," he said in a statement.

France has become increasingly trenchant in its criticism of Israel's use of military force in response to the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.

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Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered a Gaza Strip refugee camp early on Wednesday, demolishing homes, killing a Palestinian gunman and wounding 14 people before withdrawing.

The Israeli army said its foray into the Brazil camp, similar to another move in the Gaza Strip last month, destroyed buildings Palestinian gunmen had allegedly used as cover for attacks.

Israel handed over much of the Gaza Strip, captured in 1967, to Palestinian rule in 1994 but held on to Jewish settlements established there in defiance of international law.