Speaking Tuesday at a news conference in Hamburg alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Macron said it was, however, “likely that Hamas was offered help.”
The scale and sophistication of the Hamas incursion into Israel Saturday prompted questions about whether the group could have done it alone.
US security officials have struck a similar tone as Macron. Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said there is no “direct information” linking these attacks to Iran at this time, but that the United States believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel.
Macron also noted that Paris is “not in favor of a suspension” of aid to Palestinian populations, echoing a statement made by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier Tuesday. He added that France had already put in place measures to ensure that aid to Palestinian populations in the occupied territories and neighboring countries does not go to terror groups.
“We must not confuse the struggle against terrorism with the most basic human rights,” the French president urged as it would risk an increase in “popular support” for terrorist acts in the region.
Earlier, Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that Tehran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, but he praised the assault that left more than 900 people dead.
