Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his delegation were forced to remain in their aircraft after landing in Paris due to a security alert, according to Israeli media on Wednesday. Herzog arrived in the French capital to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and to meet with French officials before going on to Italy, Anadolu has reported.
“Due to fears of a security incident at Paris airport, President Herzog and his accompanying delegation were not allowed to disembark from the plane,” said Israeli public broadcaster KAN. “After about 40 minutes, the president and the delegation were allowed to leave the aircraft.”
The Israeli news portal Walla said that the holding move was made after a person was spotted on the roof of a nearby building while the aircraft was landing.
According to the Times of Israel, security measures have been enhanced for the Israeli delegation to the Olympic Games in Paris due to the occupation state’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since the 7 October cross-border incursion led by Hamas.
The Israeli offensive has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 90,000 others, mainly children and women. An estimated 10,000 Palestinians are missing, presumed dead, under the rubble of their homes and other civilian infrastructure destroyed by Israel. At least 90 per cent of the population in Gaza has been displaced, the UN has confirmed.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.
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