President Herzog of Israel has given his support to Macron’s proposal for a coalition aimed at combatting Hamas.

Paul Ronzheimer serves as the deputy editor-in-chief for BILD and is a senior journalist for Axel Springer, the parent company of POLITICO.

The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has expressed support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to form a united coalition against Hamas.

Herzog, speaking to Axel Springer, the parent company of POLITICO, expressed admiration for Macron’s concept, finding it to be creative, fresh, and logical. He also emphasized the importance of eliminating the threat posed by Hamas through significant international efforts, similar to those taken against ISIS.

Last week, Macron proposed expanding the scope of the international coalition combatting the Islamic State to also include fighting against Hamas during his visit to Israel. He stated, “We need to form a coalition, both regionally and globally, to combat terrorist organizations that pose a threat to us all.”

After the president’s remarks, Macron’s office adopted a more careful approach and emphasized that France is prepared to collaborate with its allies and Israel in devising plans to take action against Hamas.

Herzog supported Macron’s idea, stating that it would give allies the opportunity to demonstrate active support. He mentioned that there is currently a coalition fighting against ISIS and it is necessary to consider if it can also be utilized to combat Hamas. This would serve as a test for all allies to show their willingness to participate in this effort. In an interview, Herzog expressed his views on the matter.

Israel is incrementally raising its soldier count in the Gaza Strip, in line with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s description of the “second phase of the conflict” without mentioning a land invasion.

Herzog stated that their operations are currently taking place in Gaza. It is not a secret that their goal is to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure, while also prioritizing the safe return of hostages. These efforts are being carried out simultaneously, and Herzog can only provide this limited comment at the moment. Their soldiers are taking necessary actions to safeguard their people.

Herzog expressed concern about violent demonstrations fueled by antisemitism, following a large group storming the primary airport in Dagestan, Russia to protest the arrival of an Israeli plane. This was deemed “alarming” and “highly concerning” by Herzog, who reported that 20 individuals were harmed and 60 were taken into custody during the incident.

He stated that it is crucial for all governments to be highly vigilant about this matter. He also emphasized that it is exclusively motivated by hatred towards Jewish people and deliberately provoked.

The mother of Shani Louk, an Israeli-German woman who was believed to have been abducted by Hamas militants at a music festival in Israel, announced on Monday that her daughter has passed away.

“They found her skull, which means these barbaric sadistic animals simply chopped off her head when they were attacking and torturing and killing Israelis, it’s a huge tragedy,” Herzog said.