One visible result of President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Israel and its neighbours is the dispatch of a French navy vessel to the eastern Mediterranean, reports BBC News.
The Tonnerre has been widely but erroneously described as a "hospital-ship".
Its main role in the conflict zone will be humanitarian, helping to deliver medical relief to the people of Gaza.
But the Mistral class amphibious helicopter-carrier is one of the most important vessels in the French navy.
The Tonnerre is capable of landing hundreds of troops with tanks and armoured vehicles on a foreign shore, though this mission will be quite different.
The ship left its home port of Toulon on Wednesday. It is the same ship that France contracted to supply to Russia 10 years ago, but then reneged on the deal fearing - with some foresight - its offensive capacity against an enemy like Ukraine.
In addition to its force projection capability, the Tonnerre has a small hospital unit, comprising 69 beds and two operating rooms - the equivalent of a hospital in a French town of 25,000.