French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv to express complete solidarity with Israel after the October 7 attacks by Hamas, where he met with Israeli leaders, called for a humanitarian truce in Gaza to allow aid in, and aimed to avoid further escalation in the region.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Israel through his X account, stating, ‘We and Israel are bound to each other in bonds of mourning.’ He also mentioned that 30 French nationals were killed in the Hamas attack, and nine were missing.
The French President met with the families of missing and killed individuals with French citizenship on Tuesday during his visit to Israel.
Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to express his country’s ‘full solidarity’ with Israel after the deadly October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as reported by an AFP journalist.
The French presidency said that Macron was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express France’s “full solidarity” with Israel after that attack.
He was also expected to call for the “preservation of the civilian population” in Gaza amid Israel’s relentless bombardment and as it prepares for a ground invasion of the overcrowded Palestinian enclave. Macron will, in particular, call for a “humanitarian truce” to allow desperately needed aid into Gaza, whose 2.4 million people have been largely deprived of water, food, electricity, and other essential supplies after an Israeli blockade, the Elysee Palace said.
The French head of state was also due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid in Jerusalem. And in Tel Aviv, he was expected to meet the families of French and French-Israeli nationals killed in the Hamas attack or being held hostage in Gaza.
Seven French citizens are still missing: one of them, a French woman, has been confirmed as among the more than 200 people Israel says were taken hostage by Hamas. Macron has said the others are also thought to be hostages, but there has not yet been confirmation.
The French president also aims to continue efforts “to avoid a dangerous escalation in the region,” the Elysee said, amid growing alarm over swelling cross-border exchanges between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Macron will propose relaunching a “true peace process” to create a viable Palestinian state in exchange for guarantees from regional powers towards “Israel’s security.”
Gabriela De La Cruz, with AFP
