Macron Tells Abbas 'Palestinian Governance' Needed in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)
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Macron Tells Abbas 'Palestinian Governance' Needed in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)

French President Emmanuel Macron has told Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas that a return to Palestinian governance was needed in Gaza after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Macron's office said on Sunday.

In a phone conversation Saturday, Macron said this should "fully incorporate the Palestinian Authority" and that Gaza's future should be aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state, while ensuring that "no massacre, like the one perpetrated on October 7 (2023), can ever be committed against the Israeli people again", the Elysee said.

It is "now essential to immediately work to respond to the Gazans' vital urgent needs, to ensure the delivery of massive humanitarian aid, at the level of the residents' needs", the Elysee added.



Türkiye's AJet to Start Flights to Syria's Damascus

A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
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Türkiye's AJet to Start Flights to Syria's Damascus

A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)

Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet said it will start flights to Damascus International from Istanbul and Ankara airports in mid-June.

AJet said in a statement that flights from Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from June 16.

Flights will initially take place four times per week before operating daily from July, it added, Reuters reported.

Flights to Damascus from the Turkish capital Ankara will start from June 17, three-times per week, the carrier also said.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus in January after a 13-year suspension.

Türkiye, a close ally of the new government in Damascus, has pledged to support the country's reconstruction.

Ankara has already helped with the improvement and maintenance of Syria's airports, the Turkish transport minister has said.