French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared Monday on RMC/BFMTV that Paris had “no news” of the two Franco-Israeli hostages in Gaza the day after the first releases of hostages by Hamas.
Israel released 90 Palestinian detainees on Monday morning a few hours after three Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas, as part of the ceasefire between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip devastated by more than 15 months of war.
Asked about the fate of the two Franco-Israeli hostages Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi, the minister replied: “No news. And that is the tragedy of these massive hostage-takings of October 7, is that we do not “We have no news on their state of health or their conditions of detention.”
Mr. Barrot recalled that the men “are part of the list of 33 hostages who could be released in the next 40 days”, adding that Paris had pushed for them to be part of this list.
“Eight of our compatriots were taken hostage this tragic morning (October 7, 2023, editor’s note). Two of them died, unfortunately. Four were able to be released. Two remain, and we will be mobilized until the last hour,” he said.
On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the families of MM. Kalderon and Yahalomi.
-Ohad Yahalomi, who turned 50 in captivity, was kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz. His son Eitan (12 years old) was released on November 27, 2023 during the first truce.
Ofer Kalderon, a 54-year-old French-Israeli, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with Erez and Sahar, his son and daughter aged 12 and 16 respectively at the time. The two teenagers were released on November 27, 2023 during the first truce.
Of 251 people kidnapped on October 7, 2023 during Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel, 91 are still hostages in Gaza, 34 of whom died according to the Israeli army.
Among these captives, 33 must be released in a first phase of exchange spread over six weeks for 737 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the truce agreement which began on Sunday, at the end of a devastating war which killed more than 46,000 dead, mostly civilians, in Gaza.
