The French Minister of Foreign Affairs called on Sunday in Israel for a “new immediate and lasting truce” in the Gaza Strip, saying she was “concerned” by the situation of Palestinians and Israeli hostages after more than two months of war. “Too many civilians are being killed,” declared Catherine Colonna after a meeting with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Tel Aviv.
“It’s not sufficient”
The head of French diplomacy stressed that the first one-week truce ended on December 1 had made it possible to free 105 of the 250 hostages taken by force by Hamas during the October 7 attack. Humanitarian aid provided to civilians in Gaza was able to be increased and the wounded evacuated. “We know it’s not enough,” she said. She recalled that three French people are “detained, missing or hostages in the Gaza Strip” and that France is sparing no effort to free them.
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen described any call for a ceasefire as “an error” and a “gift to Hamas”, the Islamist movement in power in Gaza, author of the October 7 massacres. . These unprecedented attacks since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 left some 1,140 dead, the majority of civilians residing in localities in the south of the country, according to official Israeli data. In retaliation, the Israeli army immediately launched a military offensive which left more than 18,800 dead in the Gaza Strip, held since 2007 by Hamas, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health.
“Important role” of France in Lebanon
Eli Cohen also estimated that France could play an “important role” in preventing a war with Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite movement, an ally of Hamas and which is increasing its attacks on Israel. Catherine Colonna is due to travel to Lebanon on Monday, where she is due to meet officials and the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), but calls for “de-escalation” apply to all parties, including Israel, a- she insisted.
She also affirmed that the attacks perpetrated in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “cannot go unanswered”, with France evaluating with its partners “several options” to “prevent this from happening again”. Several global shipping giants announced on Friday and Saturday that they were suspending the passage of their ships through the Red Sea, a strategic trade route, due to the danger.
“The facts are real”
Meeting the families of the missing French people, the head of diplomacy stressed that France “does not forget” the people “assassinated with absolute cruelty, including 41 compatriots” on October 7, recalling in particular the crimes of which the women been victims. “Any denial, any relativization of these sexual crimes is unacceptable but above all unworthy. It is an insult to human conscience,” she said. “The facts are real. The facts speak. We must have the courage to look them in the face, as they are a barbarity that nothing, ever, can justify.” “These are systematic actions, thoughtful actions,” she insisted.
The minister met specialists who collect evidence on sexual violence or abuse committed by Hamas attackers and leaders of associations for the defense of female victims. After her meetings with Israelis, Catherine Colonna also speaks with Palestinian officials in Ramallah, headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, while the death of five Palestinians during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank was announced on Sunday by the authorities. She will also meet Bedouins chased out by Israeli settlers, to reiterate that France wants sanctions against the extremists responsible for abuses.