President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Israel on Tuesday, October 24, more than two weeks after the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas, and as the deadly retaliatory Israeli bombings of the Gaza Strip continue.

After landing in Tel Aviv, the president began his visit by meeting with the families of the French victims of the October 7 assault, including those of the 9 reported missing, in a lounge at Ben-Gurion airport. "We are bound to Israel through mourning," the president posted on X (formerly Twitter).

He was then due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, the minister without portfolio Benny Gantz, and the leader of the opposition Yair Lapid. A meeting in Ramallah with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has also been scheduled. Finally, on Wednesday, he may visit another country in the region, depending on ongoing negotiations with Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states.

The Elysée had made it clear on the eve of the trip: The president's primary objective is to express France's "solidarity" with Israel, following the attacks by Hamas on October 7, which left over 1,400 people dead. "I want you to be sure that you are not left alone in this war against terrorism," Macron told Herzog at the start of their meeting. Simultaneously, he is expected to call for a "humanitarian pause", which his entourage believes could eventually lead to a ceasefire, as has been called for by Arab nations. In the meantime, French officials are hoping to facilitate negotiations on the release of hostages held by Hamas – nine French nationals are still missing – and help stem the risk of regional escalation.

Macron's visit follows those of US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had already expressed their "solidarity" with Israel. The day before his arrival, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited Tel Aviv and Ramallah.

Unlike his Western counterparts, the head of state initially temporized, saying he wanted his trip to be "useful", as Israel stepped up its strikes on the Gaza Strip. Officially intended to "destroy" Hamas, these raids have claimed almost 5,100 lives, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-governed Palestinian enclave. "Emmanuel Macron should have gone much earlier," said Yves Aubin de La Messuzière, a former ambassador and former North Africa and Middle East director at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. "It's a pity that France's voice on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was extinguished under the [Françcois] Hollande and Macron presidencies."

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