French Tonnerre: Why Macron is sending the ship to Gaza

The Mistral class amphibious helicopter-carrier is one of the most important vessels in the French navy

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.

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.

Clearly - given the scale of Gazan needs - the impact will be little more than symbolic.

But the humanitarian gesture is an important one. For President Macron - who since 7 October has come under some criticism in France for tilting policy too far in favour of Israel - it permits a small rebalancing towards Arab concerns.

Other more operational considerations may also apply. The Tonnerre is equipped with sophisticated communications equipment, which could help give France its own intelligence source in the conflict.

And if the situation in the Middle East degenerates into a wider war, it could be important to have ships on hand to evacuate French nationals - notably in Lebanon where there are many. The Tonnerre has limited armed power, so in a conflict zone needs an escort - in this case two frigates, the Surcouf and the Alsace.