French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna (L) speaks with spokesperson of the Israeli army Colonel Olivier Rafowitcz in front of a refrigerated freight container converted into a makeshift storage for bodies of victims killed during the October 7 attack by Palestinian militants, at the Shura army base near Ramle in Israel's central district on Dec. 17, 2023, amid the ongoing war against the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza. (Credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Sunday pressed for an "immediate and durable" truce in the Gaza war, saying "too many civilians are being killed" in the Palestinian territory.
Israel has come under growing international pressure for a cease-fire in Gaza, where its war against Hamas militants has killed at least 18,800 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory's Hamas government.
The offensive comes in response to Hamas's unprecedented Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel in which about 1,140 people were killed, mostly civilians, and about 250 taken hostage, according to the latest Israeli figures.
Meeting her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv, Colonna stressed that the victims of Hamas's attacks must not be forgotten, including those reportedly subjected to sexual violence.
"Needless to say, France believes the word of these women victims ... those who had to witness these rapes and mutilations, these desecrations," she said.
There is concern that the war is spreading to other parts of the region.
There have been regular cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and armed groups in southern Lebanon, notably the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Cohen said Israel "has no intention to start another front on our northern border."
But he warned that ensuring the security of Israelis near the border meant pushing Hezbollah "north of the Litani River."
"There are two ways to do that: either by diplomacy or by force," Cohen said, adding that France could play a "positive and significant role" in preventing all-out war.
Colonna called on all parties to "de-escalate" along the border.
"If things were to spiral out of control, I don't think anyone would benefit, and I say this to Israel too," she said during a stop at the Shura military base.
Colonna also said France and its allies were weighing a response to attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Major shipping firms have suspended passage following attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen aimed at pressuring Israel over the Gaza war.
"These attacks cannot go unanswered, and we are studying several solutions," including a "defensive role to prevent this from happening again", Colonna said.
She was also due to meet the families of French hostages still held in Gaza, and meet her Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in the occupied West Bank.
She has condemned violence in the West Bank, where more than 290 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since October 7.
"Since Oct. 7, unfortunately, some settlers, driven by their ideological blindness ... have committed crimes" against Palestinians, she said, adding that "these settlers must be punished".
There are also tensions after a French Foreign Ministry employee was killed in Gaza by an Israeli strike. Paris demanded on Saturday that "light be shed" on the circumstances.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Sunday pressed for an "immediate and durable" truce in the Gaza war, saying "too many civilians are being killed" in the Palestinian territory.
Israel has come under growing international pressure for a cease-fire in Gaza, where its war against Hamas militants has killed at least 18,800 people, mostly women...