ADDS MORE DETAILS FROM STATEMENT
By Nur Asena Erturk
ANKARA (AA) – The French Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it is still awaiting an explanation from Israeli authorities about the killing of its staff in Gaza last week.
In a statement, it recalled that French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna asked her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen to "elucidate this tragedy" during her visit to Israel.
"We are in constant contact with Israeli authorities on this matter and we are still awaiting from their side, as soon as possible, explanations about the circumstances of this tragedy," the statement read.
It condemned once more the bombardment where a ministry staffer and many other civilians were killed.
"The ministry reiterates its call for an immediate, lasting humanitarian truce that should lead to a durable cease-fire," the statement also noted.
A French Foreign Ministry staffer succumbed to injuries from an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in southern Gaza, the ministry said on Saturday.
It added that the house of a colleague from the French Consulate where the staffer took shelter was bombed on Wednesday evening.
"Our colleague has been working for France since 2002," the ministry said in a statement, offering condolences to the victim's family.
The victim was Ahmad Abu Shamla, according to Elsa Faucillon, a left-wing French lawmaker.
"France did not put his four elder sons on the list of persons authorized to leave Gaza. He chose to stay with them, and lost his life in a bombardment," she said.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 19,600 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have since been killed and over 52,500 injured in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while more than 130 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.
*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara