France against suspending aid to Palestinians – Macron on Israel-Hamas conflict at meeting with Scholz

« French President Emmanuel Macron stated during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday in Hamburg that he is against the suspension of aid to the Palestinian population amid the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, declaring that countries ‘must not confuse fighting terrorism with basic humanitarian needs and the protection of the civilian population’.
« As far as aid to the Palestinian population is concerned, we are not in favor of suspending aid that directly benefits the Palestinian population. We ourselves have implemented procedures to ensure that this aid cannot finance Hamas,” Macron said.
He continued by saying that in 2022, around 95 million euros were distributed to the civilian population in West Bank, Gaza, and neighbouring countries, and he affirmed that halting humanitarian aid would pose a risk that terrorism would spread even further in the region.
Meanwhile, Scholz revealed that he took part in a conversation to discuss the ongoing conflict in Israel on Monday night with Macron, US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and stated that all leaders strongly condemn the ‘terrorists’ barbaric attacks on innocent Israeli civilians’.
“We stand together on Israel’s side. We also agreed that Israel has the right to defend itself against these inhumane attacks,” Scholz declared.
The chancellor also stated that the discussions involving French and German authorities showed that both countries agree on many topics, including the use of artificial intelligence in companies, mentioning that Paris and Berlin want to use opportunities presented by technological progress to help shape both nations’ futures.
The two-day bilateral comes shortly after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, October 7, firing thousands of rockets as militants broke through into Israeli territory as part of what the group described as ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’.
Israel responded with airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and issued a formal declaration of war on Hamas, warning residents in Gaza to leave their homes.
Figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that the death toll from retaliatory strikes by the IDF in Gaza has climbed to 770 killed, with 4,000 injured. The Israeli military said that at least 900 Israelis were killed and 2,616 injured over the course of the conflict.
According to the United Nations, over 120,000 Palestinians have been displaced during the current fighting. »



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