President Emmanuel Macron honoured the 42 French victims of the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel, in a ceremony that largely blocked out the conflict in Gaza.
The moving commemoration was about displaying the importance of fighting anti-Semitism in France, where attacks against Jews have sharply risen since October 7.
Mr Macron described the attack by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people, as "barbarism, which is fed by anti-Semitism and propagates it", vowing not to give in to "rampant and uninhibited anti-Semitism".
In an apparent reference to those killed in Gaza in Israel's retaliatory offensive, Mr Macron told the crowd: “Their destinies are not the only ones that the tearing of the Middle East continues to crush in this tornado of suffering that is war.
“And all lives are equal, priceless in the eyes of France.
"Never, within us, will we allow the spirit of revenge to prosper."
At the large Invalides courtyard in Paris, relatives of those killed stood behind Mr Macron, holding pictures and banners.
Images were also held up by members of the presidential guard as their families looked on, in the only such state event held outside Israel so far to mark the October 7 attacks.
A violinist played French composer Maurice Ravel's instrumental version of the Jewish kaddish prayer as the victims' names flashed up on a screen. The ceremony was broadcast live in Tel Aviv.
Mr Macron compared the October 7 events to terrorist attacks that have rocked France in the past years, including a July 14, 2016, attack in the southern city of Nice in which 86 people were killed.
"Our hearts sink to the echoes of the Bataclan, Nice or Strasbourg," he said.
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But controversy marred the ceremony after some family members of the dead said they did not want to see representatives of far-left political party La France Insoumise, the biggest left-wing party in Parliament.
The party has been widely criticised for failing to condemn Hamas immediately after the October 7 attacks.
It has demanded that Mr Macron also pay tribute to French citizens who have died in Israel's military operation in Gaza, which has killed more than 27,700 people, the Health Ministry there says.
LFI co-ordinator Manuel Bompard told local radio that Mr Macron would "grow in stature" if he paid his respects to victims of both Israel and Hamas "at the same time or separately – it doesn't matter."
There is no official information on the number of French nationals killed in Gaza, but authorities said in October that the two children of a woman wanted for terrorism had lost their lives in the enclave.
Key figures from the LFI, parliamentary chief Mathilde Panot and Mr Bompard, were present at the ceremony.
Members of the public gathered outside booing them as they appeared on the big screen.
An Elysee source told reporters before the event that it was important to also pay respects to victims of Israeli bombardments, but gave no indication as to when it would take place.
They pointed to Mr Macron repeatedly saying that "a life is worth a life".
"Homage will be paid to them at another time at a time when we will have to deal with that question," they said.
"Today, we are dealing with victims of terrorism and we must not mix two types of victims."
