:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/LPAPVJHJ6FDW3DR466WEKRWRDM.jpg "France denounced the “largest anti-Semitic massacre of our century” in tributes to the victims of the Hamas attack")
French President Emmanuel Macron Pays Tribute to Victims of Hamas Attack
French President Emmanuel Macron honored the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel at a national ceremony on Wednesday. In what he described as the “largest anti-Semitic massacre of our century,” Macron denounced the attack and paid tribute to the 42 French citizens who were killed. The ceremony included a symbolic gesture with three empty chairs representing the three hostages still being held in Gaza.
The new French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné recently made his first trip to the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinian territories, in an effort to push for the release of the hostages. Four other French hostages have been freed, but approximately 250 people were kidnapped and around 1,200, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack.
During the ceremony, honor guards held photographs of each victim in front of a giant screen displaying their names in the monumental courtyard of the Invalides in Paris. Macron expressed his condemnation of the barbarism that led to the attack and the increase in anti-Semitic acts reported in France following the incident. In response, the French president stated that “nothing can justify or excuse this terrorism.”
The Republican Guard orchestra performed “Kaddish” by French composer Maurice Ravel, a traditional Hebrew melody, as part of the ceremony to honor the victims. Relatives of the French-Israeli hostages expressed their hopes for the ceremony to raise awareness and garner support for their loved ones still being held captive.
Macron also emphasized France’s commitment to working tirelessly to achieve peace and security in the Middle East, as well as pushing for an immediate ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. Foreign Minister Séjourné described the situation in Gaza as a “tragedy” and reiterated France’s efforts to address the humanitarian crisis.
With information from AP.