Five days after the horror, the toll continues to rise. At least 11 French people are among the 1,200 people killed in Israel on Saturday during the attack carried out by Hamas, French authorities said on Wednesday evening. Not counting eighteen nationals still missing, and who could be among the hostages taken to the Gaza Strip by the terrorist group.
Since that dark day, MP Meyer Habib (LR), MP elected in the constituency of French people living abroad including Israel, has been in contact with the families of the people concerned. He answers questions from 20 minutes.
Do we have an idea of the number of French people who were in Israel at the time of the attacks?
Beyond the 200,000 French people residing in Israel, thousands of French Jews were on vacation during this holiday season. It corresponds to the end of the week of Sukkot, a vacation time.
You announced the death of Avidan on Tuesday, this young Bordeaux man you were already talking about on Sunday…
Avidan was one of the organizers at the rave party. He celebrated the joy of living and peace. The Islamists are attacking our art of living, our civilization which sanctifies life. These barbarians sanctify death: 260 young people were massacred there. This massacre is reminiscent of that of the Bataclan.
How many French families looking for their loved ones are you in contact with? What help do you give them?
Dozens, alas. I first reassure them, telling them that we are at their side and that we will never abandon them. With the Quai d’Orsay, the French Consulate in Israel, the Israeli Embassy in France, but also crisis units managed by French-speaking Israeli citizens, we provide them with moral and psychological assistance. It is France’s duty to stand by them and hold Hamas responsible for the safety of the hostages.
Were you yourself stunned by this Hamas attack?
We experienced Israeli September 11. We are witnessing the return of pogroms, but this time in Israel. Never before have so many Jews been massacred on the same day since the Holocaust. Children, women, old people, babies… These are not war crimes, but crimes against humanity. Hamas is worse than the Islamic State.
The siege of the Gaza Strip was put in place by the Israeli army, before a possible ground intervention…
Having spoken with Benjamin Netanyahu, I felt a cold anger in him that I had never felt. Israel will eradicate Hamas. The civilian populations of Gaza have been warned, they have been asked to take refuge in the south of the Gaza Strip. The war will be long and will last as long as this terrorist group, which is martyring its people, is not eliminated.
What do you expect from the French government in this conflict?
Above all, let him give Israel and its army a free hand to carry out its operation. Then, make Hamas responsible for the safety of French civilians taken hostage. Finally, he reiterates his unconditional support for Israel within the international community.