PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged a halt to arms deliveries to Israel, which has been criticised over the conduct of its retaliatory operation in Gaza.

`I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,` Macron told broadcaster France Inter.

`France is not delivering any, he added during the interview recorded early this week.The United States provides about $3 billion in weapons to Israel every year.

In May, the State Department said it did not have enough evidence to block shipments of weapons, but that it was `reasonable to assess` that Israel has used arms in ways inconsistent with standards of humanitarian law.

Britain said last month it was suspending some arms exports to Israel, citing a `clear risk` that they could be used in a seriousbreach of international humanitarian law.

Macron reiterated his concern over the conflict in Gaza. `I think we are not being heard,` he said. `I think it is a mistake, including for the security of Israel,` he said, adding that the conflict was leading to `hatred`.

The French president also said avoiding an escalation in Lebanon was a `priority`. `Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza,` he added.

-AFP