9:15 p.m.: Arrival of the first French repatriation flight in Paris
A first French repatriation plane landed at Paris’ Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport from Israel on Thursday evening and was hit by the bloody offensive by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, AFP learned from an airport source.
This first “special flight,” which took off from Tel Aviv, arrived shortly after 9 p.m. with 377 French passengers on board, particularly the elderly and “vulnerable,” this source said.
Medical teams are on site at Terminal 2E to provide support to all returnees.
As they left the plane they were greeted by Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Transport Minister Clément Beaune.
For the head of French diplomacy, “it was important that we show our solidarity with our compatriots in this ordeal.” Ms Colonna said further flights were planned for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The minister also told the press that she would travel to Israel on Sunday at the request of President Emmanuel Macron.
Air France’s commercial flights from Tel Aviv, suspended since October 7, will resume “if the security situation permits,” the transport minister said.