France’s Macron sees hope for hostages in Gaza after Qatari mediation

France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Friday welcomed the release of two American hostages in Gaza, highlighting Qatar’s role and saying he hoped similar initiatives would happen in the coming days, including for French nationals.
The armed wing of Hamas released two Americans on Friday, who Israel said were en route to a military base in central Israel to be reunited with family.
Thirty French citizens were killed on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants launched an attack into Israel and seven are still missing. One appeared in a video published by Hamas, but the fate of the other six remains unknown.
“For the other six there is a presumption of hostage taking but without certainty. We have elements that we have cross-checked with the Israeli services and authorities,” Macron told a small group of reporters on Friday.
He said Paris was holding discussions with Israel and other contacts, notably Qatar, which he said had given him hope that they would be able to free the maximum number of hostages.