It is a relief that resonates to the Élysée. After 483 days of captivity, Ofer Kalderon, 54-year-old Franco-Israeli, recovered freedom this Saturday. Remoked on October 7, 2023 during the bloody attack of Hamas against Israel, he was given to the Israeli authorities by the International Committee of the Red Cross. An outcome expected for long months, but which marks only a partial victory for French diplomacy: Ohad Yahalomi, another Franco-Israeli hostage, remains in the hands of the Islamist group.
President Emmanuel Macron was quick to react. On social network X, he expressed his “Immense joy” and that of the relatives of Ofer Kalderon, while recalling that France “Do everything” To obtain the release of his last national still captive. A formula that has become a leitmotif, while Paris is struggling to weigh on negotiations.
Since the start of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, France has multiplied discreet interventions with Qataris and Egyptian mediators. But the releases intervene in the dropper, according to ephemeral agreements and fragile ceasefies. Ofer Kalderon, kidnapped in the Kibbutz Nir Oz with his children Erez and Sahar, had already seen them be released in November 2023, during a first truce. He had to wait more than a year to find freedom too.
The human assessment of the conflict continues to increase. On the Israeli side, 1,210 people died in the October 7 attack. In Gaza, the IDF offensive caused thousands of people. In the midst of this tragedy, the question of hostages remains a strategic priority for the Israeli government. But time plays in favor of Hamas, which distills the releases and maintains the pressure on an Israeli public opinion in Cran.
