At least a plane and a ship will be sent to provide medical aid and support hospitals in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday afternoon, rejecting accusations of a ‘double standard’ between the response for Israelis and the Palestinians.
“A French plane will land [on Egyptian] soil to deliver medical supplies” to Gaza, Emmanuel Macron announced in a joint declaration with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi on Wednesday. “Others will follow”, he assured.
He also announced that a French navy ship “will soon set sail to support the hospitals in Gaza”. The ship left the port of Toulon on Wednesday evening.
“We will be fully involved, particularly in providing access to medicines and healthcare” for Gazan civilians, explained the French President, adding that this would involve “the corridors and routes that you [the Egyptians] have opened up”.
“It is also a question of the financial resources that we have to mobilise to meet the needs in Gaza and the West Bank”, he added, pointing out that France had increased its humanitarian aid contribution to Palestine by €10 million.
The French president ended a two-day trip to the Middle East against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas, during which he met the leaders of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt.
He also said that he had “heard” the message from President Al-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II that there could be a “double standard” about victims and civilians, depending on whether they are Israeli or Palestinian.
Macron assured his audience that “France does not practice double standards. International law applies to everyone, and France has always upheld universal values of humanism. All lives are equal, and there is no hierarchy”.
“Humanitarian aid […] must reach Gaza without hindrance,” said Macron. “What Egypt is doing for the people of Gaza today”, he added before calling for “access to water to be fully secured and access to electricity to be reopened.”
(Davide Basso | Euractiv.fr)
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