France emphasizes that Israel must guarantee the safety of the passengers aboard the Al-Samoud flotilla.
“France calls on the Israeli authorities to guarantee the safety of the participants and their right to consular protection and to allow them to return to France as soon as possible,” Barrow wrote in a statement on the social network X on Wednesday night.
Barrow added that France had asked the French crew members of the flotilla to refrain from making the trip.
The French foreign minister said that Paris was in contact with Israeli authorities to ensure that the arrival of Israeli forces on the flotilla’s ships would take place under “the best possible security conditions.”
According to Barrow, the French consulate in Tel Aviv is in constant contact with the French nationals of the Al-Samoud flotilla and is ready to provide them with consular services.
He also stressed that France’s “urgent priority” in the Middle East is achieving a ceasefire, the release of Israeli prisoners by Hamas and the delivery of large-scale humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Samoud flotilla consists of more than 50 ships carrying humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza, with 534 activists from 45 countries participating.
The Israeli navy has warned the Samoud flotilla that continuing to sail towards Gaza will be considered a violation and that participants will be arrested if they enter the area.
Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday night that Israeli warships have positioned themselves within a few hundred meters of the Samoud flotilla, and that the ships of the flotilla have also moved closer to each other to reduce the risk.
In its latest statement, the flotilla announced that it had declared a state of full alert and emphasized that it would continue its route towards Gaza despite Israeli threats.