France says Gaza residents must be allowed to leave, accusing the Hamas terror group of preventing them from doing so, and wants the blockade of Gaza eased to allow in humanitarian aid.
The message is delivered by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on a visit to Egypt, following talks yesterday with officials in Israel. “The blockade doesn’t respect humanitarian law,” she says. “Humanitarian aid must be permitted to enter Gaza, because it’s unacceptable to leave women, men, children who aren’t responsible for Hamas’s crimes suffering like this.”
Colonna also accuses Hamas of preventing people from leaving Gaza. “It’s unacceptable,” she says. The minister reiterates that France is worried that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to other parts of the region, warning “the situation is serious, even dangerous.”
“France appeals to all groups or states who could seek to profit from the situation to abstain from doing so,” she says. Colonna is scheduled to hold more talks later today with officials in Lebanon.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 16, 2023
