French Foreign Ministry Says Worker Killed by Israeli Attack in Rafah

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)
TT

French Foreign Ministry Says Worker Killed by Israeli Attack in Rafah

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)

The French foreign ministry said one of its workers had died as a result of wounds sustained during an Israeli attack in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The man was seeking refuge in the house of a colleague from the French consulate alongside two other co-workers and a number of their family members, the ministry statement issued late on Saturday said.

"The house was hit by an Israeli air strike on Wednesday evening, which seriously hurt our agent and killed about 10 others," it said, adding he had later died of his wounds, Reuters reported.

The statement said France condemned the bombing of a residential building.

"We demand that the Israeli authorities shed full light on the circumstances of this bombing, as soon as possible," it said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry declined to provide further details on the name, nationality and age of the worker.

"We're waiting for clarification (from Israel)," said French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna shortly after meeting her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

She called for an "immediate truce" between Hamas and Israel to allow for a humanitarian ceasefire.

Israel says it seeks to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, according to international law, though critics and even its closest ally, the US, say it needs to do more.



Russia Tells Israel to Not Even Consider Attacking Iran Nuclear Facilities

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Reuters file photo
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Reuters file photo
TT

Russia Tells Israel to Not Even Consider Attacking Iran Nuclear Facilities

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Reuters file photo
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Reuters file photo

Russia is warning Israel to not even consider striking Iranian nuclear facilities, state news agency TASS quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Thursday.
After Iran's missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1, there has been speculation that Israel could strike Iran's nuclear facilities, as it has long threatened to do.

"We have repeatedly warned and continue to warn, to caution (Israel) against even hypothetically considering the possibility of a strike on (Iranian) nuclear facilities and nuclear infrastructure," Ryabkov was quoted by TASS as saying.

"This would be a catastrophic development and a complete negation of all existing principles in the area of ​​ensuring nuclear safety."

It was not clear in what form Moscow had conveyed such a message to Israel.
Israel and Western countries have long feared that Iran is developing a nuclear bomb under the cover of a civilian nuclear energy program, something Tehran denies.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel would listen to the United States, which has also cautioned against striking nuclear facilities in Iran, but would determine its actions according to its own national interest.
The statement was attached to a Washington Post article which said Netanyahu had told President Joe Biden's administration that Israel would strike Iranian military targets, not nuclear or oil targets.

Russian state media also quoted Ryabkov as saying that Moscow was in constant contact with Iran, irrespective of the level of tensions in the region.