France summoned the Israeli ambassador in Paris Yossi Gal to a meeting at the foreign ministry Wednesday to protest after an air strike wounded a French diplomat in Gaza along with his wife and daughter.
A spokesman for the ministry said that France's ambassador in Tel Aviv had complained to Israeli authorities over the raid, and that Israel's envoy had been required to meet with senior officials in Paris.
The head of France's Gaza consulate, Majdi Shakura, was hurt in an Israeli airstrike on the Palestinian territory on the night of Sunday to Monday.
He told AFP earlier this week that he and his daughter suffered cuts from flying glass when the windows of their house blew in, and that his wife, who was two months pregnant, suffered a miscarriage.
Israeli forces said the raid which targeted a Hamas cell was a response to a rocket strike launched from the area. Palestinian medical sources said that a 20-year-old policeman was killed in the bombing.
"This morning, at the foreign ministry, we reminded the Israeli ambassador of the extent to which we strongly regret the results of this raid for the head of our Gaza consular section and his family," said Bernard Valero.
"He was reminded that, while we recognize the need of Israel to protect its security, it is important to prevent any harm coming to civilians or the French presence in Gaza," the spokesman said.
The Israeli army issued a statement saying it had not been approached about the injuries to the diplomat and his family and said a strike had been aimed at "the location from where a rocket was launched".
"Terrorists located in the Gaza Strip constantly fire missiles intentionally at civilian targets. The IDF maintains its basic right to protect Israeli civilians from these attacks," it said.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army chief of staff, General Benny Gantz, warned that further rocket fire by Palestinian militants in Gaza will push Israel into taking "aggressive and meaningful action".
The incident has added to strains in an already tense relationship between France and Israel.
At the recent G20 summit meeting in Cannes, journalists overheard French President Nicolas Sarkozy describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a liar" in a private conversation with US President Barack Obama.