The operation promises to be delicate, but the head of state has shown his determination. France wants to evacuate "as soon as possible" its nationals in the Gaza Strip, besieged and bombed by Israel, announced Friday Emmanuel Macron at the end of a European summit in Brussels.
According to Paris, about fifty French people are currently in Gaza, but counting the families and agents of the French institute on the ground, this brings to 170 the number of people that France wants to ensure the protection.
"We want to evacuate them as soon as possible. This is what we are organizing with both the Palestinian authorities and Egypt. And that's what several other European countries want to do in coordination with us," he said.
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The head of state also called on the Israeli government to carry out a "humanitarian truce" in its war with Hamas to "organize the protection" of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
"We fully recognize the right and legitimate will to fight terrorism. We stand ready to help. But we consider that the complete blockade, the indiscriminate bombardment and even more so the prospect of a massive ground operation are not likely to adequately protect the civilian population," he said.
"A humanitarian truce is now useful to be able to protect those who are on the ground, who have suffered bombings," the President of the Republic said.
'Better targeting' terrorists
It went beyond the joint declaration of the leaders of the twenty-seven countries of the European Union, which after bitter semantic negotiations had asked for "pauses" to facilitate humanitarian aid.
Seeming to deplore this "very long debate", Emmanuel Macron insisted on the need for this "humanitarian truce to protect the population", negotiate the release of hostages, "solve the problem of hospitals, which is very complicated".
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According to the French president, the Israeli response must "better target the useful action against the terrorists". "It is essential that the distinction is made from the beginning, very clearly, with the civilian population. Otherwise, there is a risk of conflagration, of confusion of minds. And paradoxically, I think it's also very counterproductive to Israel's security," he said.
Emmanuel Macron, who had evoked during a tour of the Middle East on Tuesday and Wednesday the idea of an "international coalition" to fight against Hamas like what exists against the jihadist group Islamic State, explained that he would propose to the "partners" of France a meeting "to structure this initiative".