French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday strongly condemned the recent publication of videos showing Israeli hostages in captivity by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, describing the footage as "despicable" and "unbearable."
“Despicable, unbearable images of the Israeli hostages held for 666 days in Gaza by Hamas,” Barrot wrote in a post on X. “They must be freed, without conditions. Hamas must be disarmed and excluded from ruling Gaza.”
At the same time, Barrot also urged the delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza “in massive quantities.”
His post comes after Hamas released a one-minute video Friday showing hostage Evyatar David in visibly deteriorated condition inside a narrow tunnel. A day earlier, the Islamic Jihad terror group published footage of hostage Rom Braslavski.
The French government has come under fire in recent days, after President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would officially recognize the “State of Palestine” in September.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Macron’s announcement.
"We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel," he said.
Macron has been critical of Israel and its actions in Gaza. He twice called for an arms embargo against Israel to stop the conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah, saying that "stopping the export of weapons" used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to end fighting there.
In May, the French President lashed out at Netanyahu’s policy regarding humanitarian aid to Gaza as shameful, adding that Europeans should consider increasing sanctions.
“What he’s doing is shameful,” the French President charged.
“My job is to do everything I can to make it stop,” he added, saying that the possibility of revisiting the European Union’s cooperation agreements with Israel is on the table.
In response, Netanyahu’s office said, "Macron has once again chosen to stand with a murderous Islamist terrorist organization and echo its despicable propaganda, accusing Israel of blood libels."
"Israel is engaged in a multi-front war for its very existence following the horrific massacre committed by Hamas against innocent people on October 7th, including the murder and kidnapping of dozens of French nationals."
The statement slammed, "Instead of supporting the Western democratic camp fighting the Islamist terrorist organizations and calling for the release of the hostages, Macron is once again demanding that Israel surrender and reward terrorism."
"Israel will not stop and will not surrender."