Tel Aviv [Israel], October 17 : Amid escalating tensions in Israel following its war with Hamas, former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday met with the family members of several French citizens who have been missing since Hamas attacked Israel.
He comforted the family members of those missing in Tel Aviv.
Among the relatives, a French national whose sister is missing told ANI, "My sister, Karine and some of her friends went out on a Friday night but did not come back. We have no idea what happened to her. All of her friends came back home except my sister."
"We are waiting for someone to inform us if she is alive or if she has been taken hostage...We met with the former French PM and told him our story. He understood our story and said that he would do everything possible to help us...," she further added.
Meanwhile, Karl Olive, who was elected as the deputy for the 12th constituency of the Yvelines (French legislative constituency) to the National Assembly in the 2022 legislative election, said, "We spent over an hour with the family members..."
He said, "The priority of our President Emmanuel Macron is to save the hostages and at the moment he is speaking with the partners...We want all hostages to be released."
As the ongoing Israel-Hamas battle continues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday characterized the war with Hamas as an existential battle against the "forces of darkness."
He equated the fight against Hamas with a struggle between the "forces of light" representing humanity and the "forces of darkness" embodying animalism, The Times of Israel reported.
He emphasized that the main objective was to secure victory over Hamas.
"Even with the passage of 75 years, the war of independence hasn't ended," the Prime Minister told Israel's Parliament Knesset at the opening session of its winter session.
"We will win because our existence here is at stake," he said while likening Hamas to Nazi Germany and calling the conflict "a war between forces of light and forces of darkness, between humanity and animalism."
Moreover, Tal Heinrich, Spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) outlined that Israel's battle is against Hamas and not against the people of Palestine.
Heinrich emphasised the resilience of Israeli families and the importance of taking action against Hamas, saying, "Their resilience is our strength. The ones who are aching the most are the ones giving us the most strength."
"Today it is important to highlight what the families told the PM of Israel and what they told the entire nation of Israel, to hold our heads high and to do what must be done against Hamas," she said addressing a virtual press conference on Monday.
Heinrich also revealed that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has discovered evidence of a Hamas-produced kidnapper's guide. "The IDF found evidence of Hamas-produced kidnapper's guide. Now the guide explains in gruesome detail how Hamas terrorists should capture and torture kidnapped civilians," added Heinrich.
According to the latest update, 1300 people have been killed, with over 3600 injured, reported The Jerusalem Post.
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