The French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, arrived in Israel on Sunday, where she is set to call for an "immediate and lasting" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Catherine Colonna © Mena Today
The French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, arrived in Israel on Sunday, where she is set to call for an "immediate and lasting" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Ms. Colonna is scheduled to meet her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Tel Aviv.
In addition to official meetings, Ms. Colonna is expected to meet with families of French hostages and call for "a new immediate and lasting humanitarian ceasefire," ultimately leading to a permanent ceasefire, to secure the release of all hostages and provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza population, according to a statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The minister will then visit the West Bank for talks with her Palestinian Authority counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki.
The minister will be received by military personnel identifying bodies and forensic doctors responsible for collecting evidence of violence or sexual abuse that may have been committed by Hamas attackers.
She will also meet with representatives of associations defending female victims who collect evidence and seek recognition of these acts of violence.
The United Nation's Palestinian refugee agency said on Sunday it had been ordered by Israel to vacate premises and cease all of its operations in East Jerusalem by Thursday.
United Airlines is expected to resume its flights to Israel in February, with industry sources suggesting a tentative restart date of February 22.
The Israeli army remains deployed in southern Lebanon as of Sunday, despite the expiration of the 60-day withdrawal deadline agreed upon in a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.
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