The German and French foreign ministers are heading to Damascus to send what the German minister said is a clear signal that a “political new beginning" between Europe and Syria is possible. Germany’s Annalena Baerbock and France’s Jean-Noel Barrot are expected to meet the leader of the group that toppled Bashar Assad, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and representatives of Syrian civil society on Friday.
Baerbock said there can be a “new beginning” only if the new Syrian society gives all people, regardless of ethnic or religious group, “a place in the political process” as well as rights and protection. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes on Thursday and Friday killed at least 50 people, including an attack on a sprawling tent camp that Israel has repeatedly bombed despite designating it a humanitarian safe zone. Israel said the strike targeted a high-ranking police officer, and blames Hamas for civilian deaths.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 45,500 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who say women and children make up more than half the fatalities. The officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their tally. The war was sparked by Hamas-led militants' Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. They killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 that day. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
___. Here's the latest:. French foreign minister visits long-shuttered French Embassy in Syria. DAMASCUS — French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited the long-shuttered French Embassy in Damascus on Friday as part of the first visit to Syria by top diplomats from European Union countries following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad by opposition rebels.
