PARIS, 15 Oct. Seventeen French died in during Hamas attacks against Israel, the French Foreign Ministry said in a communiqué.
«France regrets the tragic deaths of two more of its fellow citizens, which means that the number of victims of Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel by France now stands at 17,» the release reads.
Another 15 people are listed as missing.
The French Foreign Ministry also reported that four additional evacuation flights will be organized between October 12 and 14, 1.2 thousand people will be evacuated from Israel. Three more flights will be organized on October 15.
The Foreign Ministry noted that they continue negotiations with Air France on the resumption of regular flights with Israel.
Israel on the morning of October 7 was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. In addition, after massive rocket attacks, the organization’s fighters penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within days of the attack, the Israeli military took control of all settlements near the Gaza border and began conducting air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was suspended.
The number of civilian deaths on each side exceeded a thousand, and several thousand Israelis and Palestinians were injured. Several dead and missing Russians, as well as citizens of other countries, were reported. The Israel Defense Forces reported that Hamas was holding more than 120 civilians hostage in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.