A second Frenchman was killed in Hamas' attack on Israel, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.
"France deplores the tragic death of a second French national, victim of Hamas' terror attacks against Israel," spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said in a statement. "We are continuing the steps taken to clarify the situation of our non-localized nationals," she added.
#Israël | France deplores the tragic death of a second French national, a victim of Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel. We extend our condolences to his loved ones and are in contact with his family and the authorities
➡️ https://t.co/RXBmyYA4eF pic.twitter.com/33IbbqULDT
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) October 9, 2023
In a separate statement, a French lawmaker said Monday that "at least eight French people are either missing, or dead or taken hostage by Hamas."
Meyer Habib (right), whose constituency includes Israel, said earlier that among the missing French was Avidan T., 26, a young Frenchman from Bordeaux (southwest) living in Israel, would be held hostage by the Palestinian Islamist movement.
Avidan is in the hands of Hamas!!
His father, a doctor, has just confirmed this to me. As we feared, this young Frenchman from Bordeaux is being held hostage by these barbarians of Hamas.
Beyond Avidan, at least eight Frenchmen are missing or taken hostage by...
— Meyer Habib (@Meyer_Habib) October 9, 2023
"I have just spoken at length with his father, a doctor: he has just confirmed to me, as we feared, that Avidan (...) is indeed being held hostage by Hamas," the parliamentarian wrote in a message published on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Call for vigilance for the French in Israel
On Sunday, Meyer Habib said Avidan had "probably been kidnapped in southern Israel by Hamas" while attending a rave party near the Gaza border that was targeted by the attackers. Up to 250 people attending the music festival were killed.
The Quai d'Orsay announced on Sunday evening that a French woman had been killed in Israel following the Hamas attack and that several nationals had not yet been located.
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On Monday, he said that "nearly 62,000 French nationals are registered with the Consulate General in Tel Aviv and 25,000 are registered with our Consulate General in Jerusalem." In addition, "many French people passing through are currently on site".
The ministry also renews its appeal "to French people currently in Israel to respect the instructions of extreme vigilance issued by our teams at the Embassy of France in Tel Aviv, the Consulate General in Jerusalem and by the Israeli authorities".