PARIS: Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, will chair a conference on humanitarian relief for Gaza on Thursday, but Israel, which has been bombing the region since Hamas attacked on October 7, will not be present.
Gaza aid conference in Paris: Nevertheless, a Macron aide told reporters before of the meeting that all nations, including Israel, had “an interest in the humanitarian situation improving in Gaza.”
On October 7, Hamas broke through from Gaza into Israel, murdering over 1,400 people—mostly civilians—and kidnapping over 240 more, according to Israeli officials.
The health ministry in Gaza, managed by Hamas, reports that over 10,500 Palestinians, including many children, have died as a result of the Israeli military campaign of retaliation.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unless the captives are released, neither fuel nor a ceasefire with Hamas will be granted to Gaza.
Macron and Netanyahu had a conversation on Tuesday, and the Elysee Palace announced that they will speak again after Thursday’s assistance meeting.
A source close to Hamas told AFP on Wednesday that negotiations are under way to free twelve captives held by Hamas, including six Americans, in exchange for a three-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
According to a another source, Qatar was mediating talks to liberate “10–15 hostages in exchange for a one- to two-day ceasefire” in collaboration with the US.
Similar to Egypt, Qatar has been instrumental in efforts to increase the amount of aid reaching the Gaza Strip.
Macron spoke with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt on Tuesday, according to his office.
In a siege
The organizers have scheduled the hastily assembled relief meeting for this Thursday, November 10–11, on the fringes of the annual Paris Peace Forum.
France’s foreign ministry stated last week that “the idea is to go around all the major donors and speed up aid to Gaza,” adding that there will be sections on financial support, humanitarian access, and donations of products like food, fuel, and medical equipment.
“Few Arab countries are expect to send delegations, although Egypt will send a ministerial team, and the Palestinian Authority will send its prime minister.”
Along with EU heads Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, the prime ministers of Greece, Ireland, and Luxembourg will be present.
There will be no joint declaration at the conference’s conclusion.
Under the condition of anonymity, a European diplomatic source told AFP that France “is insisting on a strictly pragmatic tone, operational, humanitarian; they don’t want this conference to turn into a platform for condemning Israel.”
“Ceasefire” or “pause”?
“The majority of Gaza’s population, unable to escape the walled-off area, have heightened calls for humanitarian ‘pauses’ or an end to hostilities due to concerns over their fate.”
“The unfolding catastrophe makes the need for a humanitarian ceasefire more urgent with every passing hour,” stated UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
In the meantime, 13 significant humanitarian organisations, including as Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and the Norwegian Refugee Council, asked conference leaders to press for a stop to hostilities on Wednesday.
They advised government leaders to “do everything in their power to obtain an immediate ceasefire” and to expedite relief delivery.
As of right now, Israel has persisted in its attack, declaring its goal to topple Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007.
According to UN estimates, from now until the end of the year, the people of Gaza and the West Bank will require $1.2 billion in aid.
