France has called on Israel to immediately halt its military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The foreign ministry in Paris announced on Friday evening that the military operation, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the week, is threatening a catastrophic situation for the civilian population in Gaza, who have already been displaced several times and for whom there are no longer any safe areas in the Gaza Strip. Israel should resume negotiations, it said, as this was the only way to achieve the immediate release of the hostages and a lasting ceasefire. Fran…