TEL AVIV: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna arrived in Israel on Sunday, aiming to advocate for an “immediate and durable” truce in the ongoing Israeli bombardments in the besieged Gaza Strip. Colonna is scheduled to meet with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Tel Aviv as part of diplomatic efforts to address the escalating situation following the October 7 attacks.
Paris had strongly condemned an Israeli strike in Gaza that resulted in the death of a French foreign ministry employee, emphasizing the need for clarity on the circumstances surrounding the incident. During her visit, Colonna is also set to meet with the families of French hostages still held in Gaza, where she will call for a new humanitarian truce that should be both “immediate and durable.”
The proposed truce aims to pave the way for a lasting ceasefire, focusing on the release of all hostages and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip, which has witnessed extensive destruction and a rising humanitarian crisis due to brutal Israeli attacks.
Mounting Pressure on Israel for Truce in Gaza
International pressure on Israel to implement a ceasefire has been mounting, with the ongoing military offensive in Gaza causing significant civilian casualties. The territory’s government reports that at least 19,000 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, have been killed as a result of the offensive.
In addition to her meetings in Israel, Colonna is scheduled to meet with her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Al-Maliki, in the occupied West Bank, addressing the broader regional implications of the conflict. Before her arrival in Israel, the French diplomat condemned the increasing attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank, emphasizing the need for accountability for such actions.
“Since October 7, unfortunately, some settlers, driven by their ideological blindness… have committed crimes” against Palestinians, Colonna stated.
