France and Germany harshly condemned Hamas, emphasizing that it cannot have a role in the future of the Gaza Strip, following the release of videos showing emaciated and exhausted Israeli hostages. Emmanuel Macron characterized the images on X as “shameful cruelty” and “unlimited inhumanity,” emphasizing that the immediate release of all hostages is an “absolute priority.”
Macron says he thinks “with emotion of Aviatar David, Rom Braslavsky, all the hostages still being held, as well as their families and loved ones who have been plunged into hell for over 660 days.”
He also promised to continue “acting tirelessly” to “achieve this unconditional release, in order to implement without delay a ceasefire and to allow the massive distribution of humanitarian aid, which remains blocked outside Gaza.”
Germany: calls on Israel “not to respond to Hamas cynicism”
For its part, Berlin calls on Israel “to continue sending humanitarian aid” to Gaza and “not to respond to Hamas cynicism,” despite the publication of the shocking videos of Israeli hostages.
In an interview with the Bild newspaper, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was shocked by the three videos showing emaciated Israeli hostages, one of whom also holds German citizenship.
The videos, published Thursday by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, caused horror in Israel.
For Merz, these images show that “Hamas no longer has a role to play in Gaza’s future.” But “Israel will not respond to Hamas cynicism and must continue to provide humanitarian aid,” he insisted.
Although it is a steadfast ally of Israel under the weight of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, Germany is beginning to adopt an increasingly critical stance both on the war in Gaza and on the situation that has developed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Humanitarian aid airdrops continue
German military airdrops humanitarian aid to Gaza
On Friday, the German military began aerial drops of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, delivering 14 tons of food and medical supplies in the first two flights.
Meanwhile, Paris continues its operations, which began Friday, with aerial drops of humanitarian aid. A total of 40 tons of goods are expected to be sent by air from France to the Palestinian enclave, which is threatened by widespread famine, according to the UN.
Two-state solution from France
The French president, who announced in late July that France would officially recognize the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, also recalls the necessity of a “political solution for the day after. This solution is that of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side peacefully.”
However, he tries to eliminate any “ambiguity”: “under this political perspective…, we demand the complete demilitarization of Hamas, its complete exclusion from any form of governance and the recognition of Israel by the state of Palestine.”
In a parallel development, in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross “to provide food and medical care” to the Israeli hostages remaining in the hands of Hamas and its allied organizations in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu spoke with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in the region, Julien Larizon, and requested his mediation to provide food to our hostages and offer medical care, according to the statement.
