Macron to travel near Gaza border to advocate for ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to the Egyptian port city of Arish next week, located just 50km from the Gaza Strip.

The trip aims to draw international attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and to underscore France's continued calls for a ceasefire.

According to a statement released by the Élysée Palace on Thursday, Macron will visit Arish on Tuesday, where he will meet with humanitarian aid workers and security personnel. The visit is intended to demonstrate his “constant mobilization in favor of a ceasefire.”

Arish serves as a key staging ground for international aid shipments bound for Gaza. However, the nearby Rafah Border Crossing—which links Egypt to Gaza—has remained closed to aid convoys since the latest truce between the Israeli Occupation and Hamas collapsed last month. As a result, essential supplies, including food and medicine, have struggled to reach those in need inside the territory.

Macron is scheduled to arrive in Egypt on Sunday and will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday, ahead of his trip to Arish.