France welcomed two injured Palestinian children on Thursday, who were treated in pediatric hospital services, according to a press release from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Paris is planning “a new operation to welcome injured or seriously ill Palestinian children from next week”, says the Quai d’Orsay, “in accordance with the commitments of the President of the Republic” Emmanuel Macron.
“France is extremely concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and continues to mobilize to come to the aid of the civilian population,” recalls the ministry, reiterating its “call for the establishment of a humanitarian truce, which must be able to lead for a lasting ceasefire, to allow the passage of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of the wounded.”
129 people still detained in Gaza
The war triggered on October 7 by the bloody attack by the Palestinian terrorist movement against Israel shows no sign of respite despite heavy civilian casualties and international calls for a ceasefire. A total of 21,320 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the besieged Gaza Strip since the start of Israeli military operations, according to the Hamas health ministry.
In Israel, the attack on October 7 left around 1,140 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on the latest official Israeli figures. Around 250 people have been kidnapped by Hamas, of whom 129 remain detained in Gaza. In retaliation, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union. The army launched a ground offensive on October 27 that has cost the lives of 167 soldiers so far, according to the army.