The French Defense Minister stated in remarks published today, Monday, that his country is in discussions with Egypt to establish a military medical facility that would include the possibility of performing surgeries on severely injured individuals from the neighboring Gaza Strip. Paris will host an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Gaza later this week.
The Israeli army reported today that its fighter jets have targeted 450 locations of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, and its forces have taken control of a compound used by militants over the past 24 hours, while the Gaza Health Ministry stated that the airstrikes have resulted in numerous fatalities.
Sebastien Lecornu, French Minister of Defense and Armed Forces, said in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper L'Orient-Le-Jour: "There are still discussions with Egypt to provide French military healthcare on the ground, particularly to facilitate surgical operations for war injuries." Egypt has prepared a field hospital in Sheikh Zuweid, located 15 kilometers from the Rafah crossing, to treat those evacuated from Gaza.
France has deployed the helicopter carrier Tonnerre to the region, which President Emmanuel Macron stated is intended to support hospitals in Gaza. However, military sources note that this carrier is not equipped to provide medical assistance to those affected by the bombings in the besieged area.
Nevertheless, the French military is currently preparing a second helicopter carrier with advanced medical facilities, scheduled to set sail to the region within the next ten days. Lecornu mentioned, "The helicopter carrier Dixmude, which will be enhanced with medical capabilities, will soon be sent to the area to replace Tonnerre."
Diplomats indicated that the conference to be held in Paris on November 9 will also discuss the establishment of a maritime corridor to utilize sea routes for shipping humanitarian aid to Gaza, while also considering how ships can assist the injured evacuated from Gaza.
