French FM Colonna continues Middle East diplomacy drive with talks in Cairo

After her visit to Israel on Sunday, France's foreign minister Catherine Colonna is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian president Abdel Fatah Al-Sissi in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (L) listens to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during a visit to the damaged Barzilai Medical Center in the city of Ashkelon on October 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD

Colonna was to meet President al-Sissi Monday morning, followed by Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Choukri, with whom she will discuss the issue of the escalating war between Israel and Hamas.

The meetings are taking place at a time when the 10-day-old war has already claimed thousands of lives on both sides and displaced more than a million people.

On Sunday, the Egyptian authorities announced that they were issuing "an invitation to a regional and international summit on the future of the Palestinian cause".

The proposed summit will reportedly be addressed during Colonna's talks in Cairo. 

En #Israël, à tous les responsables politiques rencontrés aujourd'hui j'ai alerté sur le risque d' embrasement régional et ses conséquences sur les populations.
La France a la responsabilité d'agir toujours, pour la paix , la sécurité et le dialogue. pic.twitter.com/qyQwoD7Kdw

— Catherine Colonna (@MinColonna) October 15, 2023

Israel has 'the right to defend itself'

This comes as Colonna spoke by telephone with the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Riyad al Malki, from the French consulate in East Jerusalem on Sunday, but the content of the conversation has not been disclosed.

During her visit to Israel on Sunday, Catherine Colonna insisted that Israel had the right to defend itself after the attacks launched by Hamas, stressing that it had "experienced the unspeakable".

However, she also stressed the need to respect international and humanitarian law.

Speaking to the press in Tel Aviv, Colonna called Israel "a great democracy," but called on the Israeli authorities to respond "firmly" but "justly".

She also stressed that Hamas is "hurting the Palestinians" and to remember that Hamas "does not represent Palestinians".

• France warns Iran, Hezbollah to stay out of Israel-Hamas conflict

French death toll rises, 13 still missing

Meanwhile, France says it now counts 19 of its citizens amongst those who were killed in Hamas’ assault on Israel just over a week ago, with no news of 13 others who are missing and who, in some cases, may be held hostage.

Colonna has vowed that “everything will be done” to free the hostages and urged that the United Nations be allowed to organise deliveries of food and other essentials to displaced people in southern Gaza “who are lacking everything.” 

This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied reports of a ceasefire in Gaza that would enable aid to enter and foreigners to flee to Egypt.

In a statement released from Netanyahu's office on Monday, "There is currently no ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza in return for removing foreigners."

It had earlier been reported that Egypt, Israel and the United States had agreed to a ceasefire in southern Gaza beginning at 06h00 UT coinciding with the re-opening of the Rafah border crossing.