French President Emmanuel Macron commended the crucial role played by Qatar in securing the release of two American hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas since their attack on Israel on October 7. Speaking to a group of reporters, Macron expressed his confidence in further hostage releases in the near future.
“This is a very good outcome obtained by the negotiators, in which Qatar played a very important role,” Macron stated.
Macron emphasized France’s desire for similar operations to continue within the “next hours and days,” underlining the importance of securing the release of hostages, especially French nationals.
“The discussions we are having, through various contacts and Qatar in particular, give us hope that we will be able to find solutions to get as many hostages out as possible,” the French President stated.
Macron disclosed that out of seven missing French citizens, only one, Mia Shem, had been confirmed as being held hostage. For the remaining six, there is an assumption they are in captivity, but no certainty. The attack by Hamas on October 7 claimed the lives of 30 French citizens, according to the latest toll provided by the Paris government.
The two US hostages, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, were safely returned to Israel late on Friday. No details were immediately available about their condition, but US President Joe Biden expressed his elation at the news.
The Hamas attack resulted in the abduction of 203 people, including Israelis, dual nationals, and foreigners, marking it as the deadliest attack in Israel’s 75-year history. The toll from the attack included at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to the Israeli government.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign against the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 4,137 people, primarily civilians, as reported by the Hamas administration.
Emphasizing his diplomatic efforts, President Macron noted that he had not yet visited Israel since the attacks, unlike other world leaders such as President Biden. He mentioned that a visit to the region in the “next days” remained a possibility, depending on his discussions with regional leaders.
Furthermore, Macron revealed that France had been in direct contact with Hezbollah, the pro-Tehran Lebanese Shiite group, with the aim of preventing further escalation on Lebanon’s southern border following the Hamas attack on Israel.
“We sent messages to Hezbollah very directly through our ambassador and our services,” Macron said, emphasizing that, despite rocket fire along the border, there has been “no escalation.” However, he cautioned, “we remain very cautious.”
Macron suggested that responses to these messages indicated a lack of desire for the current conflictual status quo to escalate further. He underscored the precarious security situation in the region due to heightened tension and pressure and expressed a commitment to prevent further escalation.
