French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday welcomed Hamas freeing a first group of hostages, assuring the families of French captives held in war-torn Gaza of his "determination" to secure their release, AFP reported.
No French nationals were among the first group released on Friday under an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement that rules Gaza.
"I welcome the release of the first group of hostages... Special thoughts for the French hostages and their families. They can count on our determination," Macron said on X, formerly Twitter.
"We remain mobilised alongside the mediators to secure the release of all hostages," he added.
Key mediator Qatar confirmed Hamas had released a total of 24 hostages and that Israel had freed 39 women and children from its prisons, as a four-day truce offered some relief to residents of the Gaza Strip.
The French government remains "mobilised for the release of French hostages within the framework of the agreement currently being implemented... and we are working tirelessly to obtain that", the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
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