French President discusses war between Israel and Hamas with Arab countries
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Macron’s office said.
France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has large Jewish and Muslim populations. In addition, hostages of French nationality were killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7 last year.
Qatar is also playing an increasingly important role as a mediator. In January, Qatar and France negotiated an agreement with Israel and Hamas that provided for the delivery of urgently needed medicines to Israeli hostages.
“The President condemned the recent Israeli airstrikes on UN schools and displaced citizens in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, which resulted in numerous civilian casualties,” Macron’s office said in a statement.
“He also reiterated France’s demand that Hamas release the hostages immediately,” it said.
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The conflict could escalate and intensify on the border with Lebanon, as France has some influence as the country’s former colonial power. Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes in Syria and Lebanon since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern border communities in Israel and the subsequent military offensive in Gaza.
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