Tribute to the French victims of Hamas: these families from Israel who call on the State not to forget the hostages

Sébastien Le Belzic 7:35 a.m., February 7, 2024

Nearly four months after the Hamas attack on Israeli soil which killed more than 1,160 people, mostly civilians, Emmanuel Macron paid tribute this Wednesday to the French victims of the terrorist group. The ceremony at Les Invalides will allow the Head of State to pay tribute to the memory of “42 deceased fellow citizens”. The tribute will take place in the presence of their families, some of whom especially come from Israel. 

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A symbolic journey

Other family members of the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip will also be present. Lined up in front of the photos of the hostages during the press conference organized at the Israeli embassy, ​​they bear witness to their ordeal. For four months, they have had no news of some of their relatives kidnapped by Hamas and held somewhere in Gaza.

“There is no one who can tell us anything,” regrets an Israeli present with a trembling voice and sometimes hesitant French. These Israeli families came especially to Paris to attend this ceremony. Yshay Dan is the uncle of Ofer Kalderon – one of the French hostages in Gaza: “You must be like French people, very proud to do that. We are very proud to be French too,” he assures microphone from Europe 1. 

The presence of LFI is controversial

For him, the arrival of a delegation from rebellious France is a shame. “They should not be at the ceremony,” judges the Israeli. “When they say that what happened in the south of Israel is because of Israel, it’s not fair, that’s all,” continues Ofer Kalderon’s uncle, who will say a few words on Wednesday at the Invalides.

So that this tribute to the victims of October 7 is also a call for the release of the hostages still in the hands of Hamas.