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Amid Israel-Hamas war, Macron meeting Netanyahu & Abbas in quest for 'long-term negotiated' solution

French President Emmanuel Macron was Tuesday set to become the first Western leader to meet both Israel's premier and the Palestinian president, more than two weeks into the brutal Gaza conflict that has claimed thousands of lives. As Israel battles Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas after suffering the worst attack in its 75-year history, Macron visited to express solidarity but also to stress the need to protect Gaza's civilian population in the withering bombing campaign since. Hamas in its October 7 attack on southern Israel killed more than 1,400 people and took over 200 hostages, Israeli officials say. Retaliatory air and artillery strikes since then have killed over 5,000 in Gaza, according to the Hamas-ruled health ministry. Israeli strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip overnight killed another 140 people, Hamas said after the militant group released two more of the Israeli and foreign hostages it abducted. For in-depth analysis on Macron's visit to the Middle East, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen is joined by Eberhard Kienle, Director of Research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).