French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Hamas this Tuesday and its use of hostages captured in Israel, after the Islamist group published a video featuring one of those captives, a young French-Israeli girl.
In a message released by the Elysee, Macron criticized the “shame represented by the taking of hostages, innocent people and the hateful staging” and demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of the young woman, Mia Shem.
This video features Mia Shem, who was kidnapped by Hamas men who crossed into Israeli territory as the young woman took part in a festival in the desert on October 7, close to the Gaza Strip border.
Make sure you make the right choice.
– Make sure the washing machine is working properly. pic.twitter.com/YJlMWeapzT– Fadi Amun | فادي أمون | פאדי אמון (@FadiAmun) October 16, 2023
The Élysée stressed that “France is fully mobilized and working with its partners to free the French hostages held by Hamas.”
The French authorities, for reasons of security and efficiency, did not want to specify which partners they were referring to, especially in the Arab world, and showed their confidence in Israeli initiatives regarding the hostages.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna traveled to Israel last weekend and on Sunday received families of hostages, including that of Mia Shem.
In the video released by Hamas on Monday, the young woman, who appears on a bed with an injured arm, asks to be taken home: “They take care of me, give me medicine. I just ask that they take me back home as soon as possible, to my family, my parents, my brothers. Please get me out of here as quickly as possible.”
In response to the release of the video, Israel’s military spokesman accused Hamas of trying to “present itself as a human organization, when it is a terrorist organization responsible for the murder and kidnapping of babies, women, children and the elderly.”
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air, killing more than 1,400.
In response, Israel bombed several Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and laid siege to the area, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies.
More than 2,800 Palestinians have been killed in bombings in the Gaza Strip, but the number may have risen after Monday evening’s airstrikes.
Source: DN
