French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv with the intention of holding meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and opposition leaders.
Macron arrived in Tel Aviv to express his country’s full solidarity with Israel after the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, Reuters reports.
During the visit, Macron also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and the plan is to meet with centrist leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid from the opposition.
The purpose of the visit is to help free hostages still held by Hamas and prevent any escalation of the current conflict. It will also call for a “humanitarian agreement” to provide emergency aid to Gaza, whose 2.4 million residents are in need of water, food, electricity and other basic necessities following the blockade imposed by Israel, it said.
The French president aims to continue efforts to avoid a dangerous escalation in the region, which is why he will propose relaunching a genuine peace process.
Macron is also scheduled to travel to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
There are also likely to be talks with Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and leaders of the Gulf countries.