French foreign minister gets hostile reception in Gaza

Ms Alliot-Marie's alleged comments about Gilad Shalit sparked anger

The French foreign minister has been mobbed by Palestinian protesters on her arrival in Gaza.

They were angry at incorrect reports that Michele Alliot-Marie had said the five-year captivity of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas was a war crime.

Other news reports from her meeting with the soldier's father on Thursday suggested she had said Sgt Shalit should receive Red Cross visits.

The Israeli-French dual national was captured by militants in June 2006.

A small crowd of protesters - many of them relatives of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons - tried to block Ms Alliot-Marie's car after it went through the Erez crossing into Gaza.

Some held pictures of Palestinian prisoners and banners saying "Get out of Gaza". Other protesters banged on the bonnet and threw shoes at the vehicle.

Later, as the French minister left a hospital she had been visiting, her car was pelted with eggs.

Ms Alliot-Marie, who was unhurt in the incident, has dismissed it as "not very serious".

"Among the demonstrators were mothers whose sadness I can understand, but there were others who had other intentions," she told reporters.

Impassioned appeal

Ms Alliot-Marie is on her first trip to the Middle East since her appointment to the post last November.

Many of the protesters have relatives being held in Israeli prisons

In Jerusalem she met Sgt Shalit's father, Noam Shalit. Afterwards he said the minister had promised to speak to the European Union and "to pass on the message that the prisoner should receive visits from the Red Cross".

Mr Shalit then told reporters: "Holding a hostage without allowing him to meet representatives of the Red Cross is a war crime."

Some media outlets, including Israeli radio, then attributed the comment to Ms Alliot-Marie.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said her reported comments reflected a "total bias toward Israel" and ignored the thousands of Palestinians held by Israel.

"They are the true prisoners of war," he said.

While in Gaza, the French minister issued an impassioned call for an end to Israel's blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory, according to AFP news agency.

"The blockade of Gaza breeds poverty and fuels violence. In the spirit of the values of freedom and dignity that we share, France calls on Israel to stop it," Ms Alliot-Marie is quoted as saying.