France is sending nearly 400 tonnes of food aid to Gaza specifically intended for malnourished babies and has called on Israel to lift obstacles to humanitarian aid into Gaza. France is one of 60 countries to receive an invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" to address the war in Gaza and other world conflicts.
A container ship carrying 383 tonnes of food aid left from France’s port of Le Havre on Sunday bound for Gaza, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The cargo is made up of Plumpy’doz, a nutritional supplement paste made of peanuts and milk powder intended treat malnutrition in young children, produced by Nutriset, a company based in Normandy.
The aid is intended to "improve the health of more than 42,000 Gazan children aged between six months and two years, who are suffering from malnutrition," the ministry said.
Hunger, disease and no escape: Gaza aid worker’s account of life under siege
The ship is expected to arrive at Egypt’s Port Said in about ten days, and then it will be transported to Gaza by the World Food Programme.
Since 7 October 2023, France has delivered "more than 1,300 tonnes of humanitarian freight for civilian populations," the ministry noted.
Though Israeli strikes have been less intense since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began in October 2025, bombs still fall every day.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire's terms.
Calls for Israel to lift blocks on aid
With more than 80 percent of its infrastructure destroyed, Gaza is in shambles, and day-to-day living conditions remain precarious.
Aid workers say the humanitarian response remains insufficient due to access restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, who deny these claims.
France insisted that Israel must lift obstacles so that the United Nations and NGOs "can continue to deliver humanitarian aid independently and impartially throughout the Gaza Strip."
"France is fully mobilised for the people of Gaza," French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media platform X.
Medical charity MSF says may have to halt Gaza operations in March
'Board of Peace'
Meanwhile, France was one of the countries officially invited to join US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" initiative aimed at overseeing the end of the conflict in Gaza, which would be expanded to resolve conflicts globally.
Some 60 countries have been invited to join for three-year terms, which can become permanent memberships for $1 billion (€857 million).
A mandate for a Board of Peace was authorised by the United Nations Security Council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict.
Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, complaining that the resolution did not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza.
Trump’s proposal said "durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed".
There was a "need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body", it added.
Several governments appeared reluctant to make public statements about the proposal, leaving officials to express concerns anonymously about the impact on the work of the UN.
(with newswires)
