President Emmanuel Macron affirmed on Wednesday that the attack carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7 had been
“the
greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century
”
, during the national tribute to the 42 French people killed by this
“barbarity”
.
“Last October 7, at dawn, the unspeakable resurfaced from the depths of History
,” declared the Head of State in the courtyard of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, in the presence of the families of the victims.
“It was 6 a.m. and Hamas launched a massive and heinous attack by surprise, the largest anti-Semitic massacre of our century
. ”
Also read: How Hamas organized its attack on Israel in the greatest secrecy
“All lives are equal”
“We are 68 million French people bereaved by the terrorist attacks of October 7. 68 million minus 42 lives taken, 68 million including six lives injured, 68 million including four lives forever damaged by their captivity. 68 million of whom three lives are still prisoners, for whose liberation we fight every day. Their empty chairs are there
,” he chanted.
Three chairs had been left empty in the family gallery, for the three French people still presumed hostages of the Palestinian Islamist movement.
The
“destinies”
of the victims of Hamas
“are not the only ones that the tearing of the Middle East continues to crush in this tornado of suffering that is war
,” the President of the Republic then explained.
“And all lives are equal, invaluable in the eyes of France
,” he insisted.
Read alsoMiddle East: Israel seeking a truce with Hamas
Emmanuel Macron also felt that we should
“give in nothing to rampant, uninhibited anti-Semitism, here and there, because nothing justifies it”
.
“Nothing can justify or excuse this terrorism
. ”
The Élysée plans to subsequently also devote a
“tribute”
or
“memorial time”
to the French victims of the Israeli bombings in Gaza, but neither the date nor the format have been set.