France says Israeli strike killed its diplomat in Rafah

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Dec 2023 16:05
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France has condemned the Israeli strike that has killed its diplomat, however, it has only asked for clarification from the occupation.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, right, shakes hands with Israeli occupation forces officer, Colonel Olivier Rafowicz, as she arrives in an Israeli base, set up in occupied Palestine, on December 17, 2023. (AP)

France's Foreign Ministry has said that one of its workers died as a result of injuries sustained from an Israeli attack on the southern Gaza Strip district of Rafah.

The man, killed in the Israeli strike, was seeking refuge in the home of a colleague from the French consulate along with two other colleagues and several members of their families, the ministry stated.

"The house was hit by an Israeli air strike on Wednesday evening, which seriously hurt our agent and killed about 10 others," it said, adding he had later died as a result of the sustained injuries.

France said that it condemned the bombing of a residential building, adding that demands "Israeli authorities shed full light on the circumstances of this bombing as soon as possible."

Sanctioning the Resistance

Although the French President, Emmanuel Macron, has called for a ceasefire, he has worked with other Western powers to vilify the Palestinian Resistance. French authorities even went to the extent of working on a set of sanctions against Hamas and other Palestinian Resistance factions, which represent a large portion of the Palestinian people.

In a joint letter addressed to the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, foreign ministers from Italy, France, and Germany urged the EU to establish an ad hoc sanctions regime targeting Hamas and its supporters.

The letter, obtained by Reuters on December 11, highlights the proposed sanctions by the three foreign ministers.

“We express our full support for the proposal to create an ad hoc sanctions regime against Hamas and its supporters,” the letter read.

"The swift adoption of this sanctions regime will enable us to send a strong political message about the EU’s commitment against Hamas and our solidarity with Israel."