France has strongly condemned the burning of a Palestinian infant, Ali Dawabsheh, by Israeli settlers in the West Bank city of Nablus.

In press statements on Friday, the spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said that his country deprecatingly received the news of the death of the Palestinian child in the arson attack in the city of Nablus.

France urged action to shed light on this crime and bring perpetrators to justice, the spokesman said.

The 18-month-old boy was killed in the attack on two homes in the village of Duma. His parents and brother suffered serious injuries.

In response to the incident, Israel's prime minister called the attack "reprehensible and horrific".

"This is an act of terrorism in every respect. The State of Israel takes a strong line against terrorism regardless of the perpetrators," Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.