From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
French FM visits Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7 anniversary; no planned meetings with Israeli officials
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visits Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and Kibbutz Be’eri as Israel marks three years since the Hamas-led October 7 massacre.
“I am in Israel today to pay tribute to the victims of October 7,” Barrot says in a French-language statement, adding, “On that day, Hamas perpetrated the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust, in which 51 French nationals lost their lives. We will never forget them. Nothing will erase their faces or their names.”
In a video shared by French radio RCJ, Barrot is seen touring the square, which became the gathering place for thousands of Israelis who had demonstrated throughout the war for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Barrot does not have any meetings set with senior Israeli officials during his visit, a French official tells The Times of Israel, saying his visit is purely “to pay tribute for October 7.”
The trip comes as ties between Paris and Jerusalem have hit a nadir over the war against Hamas in Gaza and Israeli settlement policy.
The Times of Israel Community.