Macron pays tribute to victims of 'biggest anti-Semitic massacre of century'
At a ceremony paying national tribute to the French victims of the October attacks by Hamas against Israel, President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called the "biggest anti-Semitic massacre of our century”.
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The families of the 42 French citizens killed and those who remain missing attended the event at the Invalides memorial complex in Paris.
Every French victim was represented by a photograph with his or her name. It's believed that three French nationals are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
Some Israeli relatives were brought to France on a special flight.
“We are a people who will never forget” the victims of October 7, Macron said during a speech as he promised “to work for the security of all in the Middle East”.
Macron said that for French people the Hamas atrocities brought echoes of terrorist attacks in Paris, Nice and Strasbourg.
Anti-Semitism fight
Unprecedented outside Israel, the ceremony comes four months to the day after the attacks by Hamas.
It was broadcast on a giant screen on “hostage square”, opposite the Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv.
An unnamed presidential official told the French news agency AFP the tribute would serve as a time to remember the importance of the "fight against anti-Semitism and through it ... all forms of hatred, racism and oppression of minorities".
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was unable to attend for scheduling reasons, though representatives of the Israeli embassy in Paris were there.
Strong emotion
There has been controversy over the ceremony, with many families saying they did not want figures from the hard left France Unbowed party (LFI) to attend because of its failure to sufficiently denounce Hamas as a terrorist group.
However the presidential official said that, according to protocol, all MPs were invited to the ceremony and it was up to individuals to determine the appropriateness of their presence "given families have spoken out and expressed strong emotion".
Key figures from LFI – France's biggest left-wing party in parliament – including coordinator Manuel Bompard and parliamentary chief Mathilde Panot, had expressed a desire to attend.
The LFI said it would also be appropriate for Macron to host a memorial event for the French citizens killed in Israel's bombardments of Gaza.
Bloody war
Hamas's unprecedented 7 October attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also seized around 250 hostages, and Israel says 132 remain in Gaza, including at least 28 believed to have been killed.
Israel launched a massive military offensive that has killed at least 27,585 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry.
(with AFP)
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