France holds a private memorial ceremony to pay homage to those killed in Paris two weeks ago in a series of coordinated attacks. [Photo: Xinhua]

France has held a private memorial ceremony to pay homage to those killed in Paris two weeks ago in a series of coordinated attacks.

The French national anthem played by a military band echoed at the Invalides national monument where a sombre ceremony honoured those killed in the November 13 attacks in Paris.

A minute's silence was held and the names of the 130 victims in the Paris attacks and their ages were read aloud:

The youngest victim killed in the attacks was 17 and the oldest was 68, but the vast majority of victims were in their 20s and 30s.

Most of the people killed were at a rock concert, while many others were at bars and restaurants in central Paris.

French President Francois Holland addressed the service.

"To all of you, I solemnly promise, that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics who committed these crimes. Without rest, it will protect its children. I promise you also that France will remain herself, as the dead loved her, as they would have wished her to remain."

Among the 2,600 spectators at the ceremony were several survivors who were injured in the attacks. Most say it was a moving, emotional experience:

"I felt compassion for all those families who have lost a loved one."

"The emotion was reflected mostly by silence from the beginning to the end of the ceremony. The silence was everywhere and you could hear a pin drop."

But, when recalling about the horrible night two weeks ago, many of them say they don't want to feel hatred towards people who created the tragedy.

"I don't want to because I don't want to give them the satisfaction, that they reached their goal. Because that's what they expect, want, that we are angry, divided and I don't want to be pointing fingers at someone in particular."

The ISIS terror group claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it was retaliation for French airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

France has embarked on a diplomatic push to increase support for the fight against IS militants.

French president Francois Hollande had flown to Washington to meet President Barack Obama, then met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian PM Matteo Renzi. After that, he traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where agreements were reached on more coordination on air strikes and intelligence sharing.