Thank you Madam President.
France would like to thank the United States for organizing this Arria meeting on the hostels held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which we co-sponsored.
I thank Mrs Halperin-Kaddari for her presentation, and I salute the courage of Mrs Haran, Mrs Samerano and Mr Roman for coming to share their testimonies with us today.
France has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7, 2023, in which 250 Israelis, including women and children, were taken hostage. To date, 125 people are still missing and presumed to be held hostage by these terrorist groups, including three French nationals: Ohad Yahalomi, Ofer Kalderon and Orion Hernandez Radoux. Their release is our priority.
France calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and will continue its efforts to achieve this goal.
We support the ongoing negotiations to secure their release and a lasting ceasefire, and call for those negotiations to be resumed. France welcomes the mediation efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this.
I have three messages to share today:
It is urgent that the Security Council finally and clearly condemns the terrorist attack of October 7, which claimed the lives of 1,200 people, including 37 children. Hostage taking and abduction of civilians are prohibited by international law and constitute war crimes as well as terrorist acts. In Resolution 1566, the Security Council reiterated the indefensible nature of hostage-taking, defined as an act of terrorism. Our draft resolution condemns this unambiguously. It is imperative to allow humanitarian access to the hostages and to support their families psychologically, morally and materially.
France reiterates its condemnation in the strongest terms of the rapes and other forms of sexual violence committed on October 7 against the hostages, in flagrant violation of international law and used as a weapon of war. All relevant resolutions must be implemented.
These crimes must not go unpunished. Survivors must be better supported. In this regard, France supports the efforts of Pramila Patten and her team of experts. We are also in favor of the Council making greater use of sanctions against the perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence. At the European Union level, we have sanctioned three entities responsible for sexual and gender-based violence that were involved in the October 7 attack.
The war in Gaza and rising tensions in the region are a reminder of the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a just and lasting political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two-state solution is the only one that can guarantee Israelis and Palestinians the peace and security to which they aspire. France is actively committed to this goal, and remains convinced of the central role that this Council must play. The draft resolution we have proposed addresses all aspects of the crisis and is in line with this approach. We call on the entire Security Council to support them.
Thank you.
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