THE French Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne announced today that the toll is “rising again” for her Middle Eastern country, with 10 French dead and 18 missingamong them “several children possibly abducted” by Hamas.

The previous official count announced yesterday, Tuesday, was 8 dead and 20 missing.

At the start of the session, the Senate observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of Hamas attacks on Israel, whose people are “torn, wounded” but “brave”, according to the speaker of the upper house Gérard Larche who denounced ” crimes against humanity”.

When asked about France’s response, Elizabeth Bourne reiterated that diplomacy was “working to avoid escalation and conflagration” in the region.

“I would like to have a special thought for the ten of our countrymen who have lost their lives and for the 18 of whom we have no news,” “whose situation is extremely worrying,” Bourne told the Senate. “We are in constant contact with the families,” he added, stressing that “all (her) thoughts are with the French community in Israel, which is living in agony.”

Bourne advocated a “sustainable peace solution”. “This is the only path to security and stability in the region. It is also a path to appeasement in our democracies.”