French President Emmanuel Macron described the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel as “the greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century” as he presided over a ceremony honoring the French victims.
Macron described the attacks by the Palestinian armed group as “barbaric… fueled and promoted by anti-Semitism.” “We must fight hatred, and we must not give in to rampant, unbridled anti-Semitism,” he said. “Nothing can justify or excuse terrorism.”
Macron said the “spirit of revenge” in France should never be allowed to grow and “nothing should divide us.” He said that France “will work tirelessly to respond to the aspirations for peace and security in the Middle East.” He said that in the suffering of war, all lives were equal in the eyes of France.
Macron said France would “fight every day” for the release of hostages held since October 7.
The ceremony, held at the Invalides Memorial Complex in Paris, was the first major international memorial event outside Israel since the Hamas attacks four months ago. The ceremony remembers the 42 French citizens killed in the attacks and the three others still missing and believed to be being held hostage. It also honored four French-Israeli hostages who were released and six people who were injured in the attacks.
The Republican guards carried pictures of each person. Three empty chairs were left for people believed to still be held hostage. Many families were flown from Israel by France on a special flight. The concert was broadcast live on a screen in Tel Aviv.
Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage in its attacks, including on a music festival and kibbutzim. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said Israel then launched a military attack on the Gaza Strip in which at least 27,585 Palestinians were killed and thousands more were feared to have been buried under the rubble.
The French presidency said this week that France would also provide an opportunity to remember French citizens killed in the Israeli bombing of Gaza. The official said: “It is clear that we owe the same feelings and the same dignity to the French victims of the bombings in Gaza, and this honor will be presented to them at another time,” without specifying a date.
The Elysee said the main message of the memorial service for the victims of the October 7 attacks was to “combat anti-Semitism and through it… all forms of hatred, racism and oppression of minorities.”
Yashai Dan, a relative of one of the French-Israelis believed to be still being held hostage, Ofer Calderon, said he hoped the concert would “resonate around the world, not just in France.” “I think from this perspective, France is showing a great gesture by being with those who have suffered a huge blow,” he told the Associated Press.
Ayla Yahalomi-Lozon, the sister of another French-Israeli hostage, Ohad Yahalomi, said: “We do not need people to hope in us. I have hope. We need help. Ohad is a French citizen and I ask France to make every effort to release him and everyone else.”
Tzipora Levy, whose son Yitzhak was killed at the Nova Music Festival and who traveled to Paris, said the concert was symbolic amid the grief felt by the families. “All I care about at the moment is the release of the hostages,” she told France Info television.
There was controversy over some of the politicians who attended the Paris ceremony, with several families of French victims saying they did not want to see figures from Jean-Luc Mélenchon's left-wing party, La France Insoumise, accusing him of failing to adequately condemn the October 7 attacks. He described Hamas as a terrorist group.
According to protocol, all members of the French Parliament were invited. The coordinator of the Proud France party, Manuel Bompard, and the head of its parliamentary group, Mathilde Panot, attended. Bombard told French media that he shared the pain and grief of the victims' families. Bhanot said she wanted to honor all French war victims in the Middle East.
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