France will send amphibious helicopter ship to provide medical assistance to Gaza

(AFP, Paris, 19th) France is preparing to send the amphibious helicopter aircraft carrier “Dixmude” to the eastern Mediterranean in order to provide medical assistance to war-torn Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said the Dixmuad is expected to “set sail this week and arrive in Egypt in the coming days.” A charter flight carrying more than 10 tons of medical supplies is also expected to depart this week.

“France will also contribute to Europe’s efforts by providing medical equipment on European flights on November 23 and 30,” the French president’s office said.

The French presidential office added: “France is using all means to assist in the evacuation of sick and injured children in need of urgent medical care from the Gaza Strip to hospitals.”

Macron later said on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that up to 50 children could be flown to French hospitals for treatment “if it is helpful and necessary.”

After the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history on October 7, Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza.

According to Israeli officials, about 1,200 people were killed in the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, most of them civilians, and 240 people were taken hostage.

Hamas officials said that after Israel launched a military counterattack, 13,000 people died in Gaza. In addition to the majority of civilians, more than 5,000 of them were children.

Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there were “too many civilian casualties” in Gaza, his office said today.

Macron also reminded Netanyahu that “it is really necessary to distinguish between terrorists and civilians” and mentioned “the importance of an immediate humanitarian truce to facilitate a ceasefire”.

When Macron spoke to Qatar’s King Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday, he mentioned that the relevant parties were negotiating how to free the prisoners detained by Hamas. Hostages in Gaza.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu was in Qatar yesterday and the country is leading the mediation effort.

Macron’s office said that the leaders of France and Egypt agreed on “the need to increase the number of trucks entering Gaza and strengthen coordination to provide humanitarian aid and treat the injured.”