France was reeling Tuesday from the horrifying images of the murderous terror attack on Ozar Hatorah School in Toulouse, Monday.
The shooting claimed the lives of Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, his 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh and 8-year-old Miriam Monsonego, daughter of school headmaster Rabbi Yaacov Monsonego.
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Schoolchildren across France observed a moment of silence in honor of the four. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was present for a memorial service held at a junior high school in Paris.
Sarkozy briefly addressed the students and reiterated that everything possible was being done to find the gunman, adding that the children killed "were exactly like you… the attack could have happened here."
Hundreds of mourners gathered at the main synagogue in Toulouse on Monday evening. In Paris, thousands staged a silent vigil in central Place de la Republique, while political leaders joined a solemn remembrance ceremony at the grand synagogue.
France's Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot appeared before the Knesset on Tuesday: "There is a great deal of shock in France after the barbaric attack," he said.
"The security around schools, synagogues and Jewish institutions has been raised to the highest level. This is not just a case of crimes against the victims this is a crime against democracy and against Israel's and France's shared values."
The bodies of Sandler, his two sons and Miriam Monsonego will be flown from Toulouse to Paris by the French Air Force and handed over to El Al, which will fly them to Israel.
The four will be buried in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Menachem Gantz is on special assignment for Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth in Toulouse, France
Kobi Nahshoni and Moran Azulay contributed to this report
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