The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of a French diplomat who succumbed to injuries sustained during an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the ministry revealed that the diplomat, along with two colleagues and family members, sought refuge in the residence of a fellow diplomat at the French consulate in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt.
The statement explained that the house came under Israeli bombardment last Wednesday, resulting in the diplomat sustaining injuries and the death of approximately 10 people.
The ministry stated that the diplomat had been “working for France” since 2002 and later succumbed to his injuries. France strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike on the residential building, which led to the deaths of numerous other civilians. The ministry urged Israeli authorities to promptly clarify the circumstances of the incident.
The Israeli military initiated a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip following attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territories on October 7. The clashes resulted in the death of around 1,200 individuals and the capture of approximately 240 hostages by Hamas.
Before the ground offensive, there were aerial bombardments. According to Hamas, nearly 18,700 people, many of them civilians, lost their lives during the Israeli airstrikes. The situation remains highly tense, with international calls for a ceasefire and investigations into potential war crimes.