Macron denounces ‘odious blackmail’ as Hamas threatens to kill some hostages

Macron also said he was waiting for intelligence on whether Iran was directly involved in the attack. Photograph: Georg Wendt/EPA

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has denounced “odious and unacceptable blackmail” by Hamas after the Palestinian militant group threatened to execute some of the more than 100 hostages it abducted during its attack on southern Israel.

Macron was speaking alongside the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who asserted the “right of Israel to defend itself”.