French FM Deeply Concerned about Situation in Gaza

French FM French Foreign Minister (FM) Catherine Colonna said on Sunday that her country is deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza, calling for an "immediate and permanent new truce" in light of the continuing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Following discussions she held with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen during her visit to Israel, Colonna stressed the importance of reaching a permanent truce, saying that "a very large number of civilians were killed."

For his part, Israeli FM stressed the position of his government, which considers the call for a ceasefire to be a “mistake” and a “gift to Hamas,” which carried out an unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7th.

French FM arrived in Israel on Sunday, to meet her Israeli counterpart, Elie Cohen, in Tel Aviv, while Israel launched new raids on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 12 people in Deir al-Balah today, and tensions are increasing in the region as the war continues in Gaza.