French leftist lawmaker Panot vows to continue highlighting 'genocide' in Gaza

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - French lawmaker Mathilde Panot, known for her adamant pro-Palestinian stance, said on Tuesday that she would continue to highlight the ongoing Israeli "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

During a meeting with her left-wing LFI party's supporters in Paris, Panot said there is unprecedented slide to the authoritarianism in the country in refence to accusations of terror propaganda against her.

The lawmaker was summoned by police last week for questioning over her comments on the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

Stressing that she remains undeterred and unfearful, Panot said: "We are not afraid of them. They are afraid of us."

"They want the first visible genocide in human history to take place silently before our eyes. They want us to behave in the face of the horrors happening on the other side of the Mediterranean," Panot said.

She expressed her pride in defending international law and peace, and that she will not hesitate to say what is happening in Gaza is a "genocide."

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas last October which claimed 1,200 lives.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, besides causing mass destruction, displacement and leaving most civilians hungry.

Israel also stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to prevent genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.​​​​​​​