France will send a new hospital ship off the coast of Gaza. Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced late Thursday that the helicopter carrier Dixmude, one of three amphibious aircraft in the French fleet, would be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to support the blockaded Gaza Strip. The building "is being equipped to be transformed into a hospital boat" in order to be sent off the coast of Palestinian territory, where the population is exposed to Israeli strikes, the minister announced on Franceinfo on November 2nd.
This helicopter carrier will join the "Thunder", already sent on October 25 to support Gaza's hospitals without electricity. The priority for Paris is to establish a presence near the Gaza enclave, where a humanitarian drama is unfolding in the face of Israeli strikes. "It is the moral duty of France to play this role in the region," the minister said.
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The departure of the "Dixmude", parked in Toulon, is being "planned", Sébastien Lecornu detailed, explaining that it "could be equipped with a certain number of hospital beds". Currently in preparation, it would be ready to set sail "around mid-November", according to Franceinfo, citing the minister's entourage. The "Tonnerre" was operating in the area when it was diverted to get as close as possible to the Lebanese coast. The Dixmude, Mistral or Tonnerre can carry up to 16 helicopters, 60 armoured vehicles, landing craft, 400 to 900 soldiers, and as much cargo as there is space available.
The minister also mentioned the resources deployed by the air force. "An A400M landed a few days ago in Egypt to drop off several dozen tons of medical cargo," he said, and "two more flights are planned, on November 3 and 5." The minister also did not rule out deploying "elements of our military medicine", including "advanced surgery antennas". "These are all objects, means that France is putting on the table," he said.