French Politician Honors Oct. 7 Victims at Nova Festival Site
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS French by baba
French politician Bruno Retailleau visited the Nova festival site in Israel to honor victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks. He condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization distinct from the Palestinian cause and expressed outrage at its portrayal as a resistance movement. Retailleau, who met with a victim's mother and noted 51 French nationals were killed, called for action against "Islamist totalitarianism." He was scheduled to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- French politician Bruno Retailleau visited the Nova festival site in Israel to honor October 7 victims.
- Retailleau condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization, not a resistance movement.
- He stated that 51 French nationals were among those killed in the attacks.
- Retailleau met with the mother of a 23-year-old victim, Bar.
- He called for political action against "Islamist totalitarianism."
- Retailleau was scheduled to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
French politician Bruno Retailleau paid tribute to the victims of the October 7 attacks at the site of the Nova music festival during a visit to Israel marking the third anniversary of the Hamas assault. Speaking to CNEWS, Retailleau condemned Hamas's crimes and stressed the importance of separating the terrorist organization from the Palestinian cause, stating, "Hamas is not the Palestinian cause. Hamas has disfigured, Talibanized, Islamized, dehumanized the Palestinian cause." Standing before portraits of the victims, he described the location as "land soaked in blood." He had previously met with the mother of Bar, a 23-year-old woman murdered at the festival, noting the mother's lack of hatred despite her loss. Retailleau recalled the peaceful nature of the young festival-goers and the horrific circumstances of the attack. He expressed outrage at those who portray Hamas as a resistance movement, highlighting that the attacks resulted in the deaths of 51 French nationals and included massacres of families, children, and the elderly in kibbutzim. "It is scandalous to consider Hamas a resistance movement and not a terrorist movement," he asserted. Retailleau was scheduled to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem later that day. Beyond remembrance, he urged political leaders to actively combat "Islamist totalitarianism," emphasizing that "memory and candles are not enough."
