France pays homage to victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in Israel with national ceremony led by Macron

PARIS (AP) — France is paying tribute Wednesday to French victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in a national ceremony led by President Emmanuel Macron four months after the deadly assault in Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 250 abducted.

The ceremony will pay homage to 42 French citizens who died in the attack and three hostages still believed to be held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza, Macron’s office said. Four French hostages have been previously released.

Photographs of the victims will be displayed in the Invalides' monumental courtyard in central Paris. The Republican Guard’s orchestra will play the “Kaddish” by French composer Maurice Ravel, written in 1914 based on a traditional Hebrew melody.

Families of victims will attend the ceremony, many coming from Israel on a special flight chartered by the French Republic.

Yashay Dan, a relative of French-Israeli hostage Ofer Kalderon, said he hopes the ceremony “can resonate all around the world, not only in France.”

“I think from this perspective that France is showing a great gesture by being with those that have suffered an enormous blow,” he told The Associated Press.

Ayla Yahalomi Luzon, sister of French-Israeli hostage Ohad Yahalomi, said: “We don’t need people to hope for us. I have hope. We need help. Ohad is a French citizen and I ask France to make all efforts to release him and everyone.”

Macron’s speech is expected to address a sharp rise in antisemitic acts in France. Data from the Interior Ministry and the Jewish Community Protection Service watchdog showed that 1,676 antisemitic acts were reported in 2023, compared to 436 the previous year.

The ceremony also comes after France's new Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné made his first trip to the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinian territories, where he pushed for the release of hostages.