French prime minister's nephew stabbed in Israel

The French prime minister's nephew was among three tourists stabbed in Israel's Eilat resort, it emerged on Monday.

2 min read

09 January, 2018

The nephew of French prime minister Edouard Philippe was among those attacked [Getty]

The nephew of French prime minister Edouard Philippe was among three tourists stabbed in Israel in the resort of Eilat.

The wounded holidaymakers, who have not been named, were found lying on the promenade last Wednesday after being targeted by a gang of Israeli men, Israeli media reports said on Monday night.

The incident comes at heightened tensions between France and Israel after President Emmanuel Macron refused to support US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Three French tourists, including the nephew of the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who was on holiday in the seaside resort of Eilat in Israel, were attacked last Wednesday by a group of Israelis," reported Israeli i24 news channel.

"The municipal police found three young tourists lying on the Eilat Promenade with stab wounds on the lower part of their bodies. Two of them were slightly hurt, and the third more seriously."

All were taken to hospital and later joined by the French consul, who is said to have contacted Philippe immediately.

Two of those hurt were released from hospital on Thursday, while the third remained in a ward.

A criminal investigation into the attack has been launched in Israel. The perpetrators are believed to be Israeli men, detectives said.

There was no comment on the incident from France's Ambassador to Israel, or from the French foreign ministry.

On Monday, during a meeting with members of the Palestinian Central Council, President Macron reaffirmed his country's commitment to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and called for "calm and dialogue" among Palestinian leaders.