French Foreign Minister Jean-NOël Barrot requested access to the ‘free and independent press to show what happens’ in Palestinian territory, which faces a serious humanitarian crisis
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Jean-NOël Barrot, asked on Tuesday (22) the that allows the access of the “free and independent press” to , that faces the risk of the hunger scenario after 21 months of war. “I ask you to allow yourself to the free and independent press to access Gaza to show what is happening there,” the minister said in an interview with France Inter during a visit to Kiev. The statements came after the management of AFP warned that the lives of its Palestinian collaborators in the territory surrounded is in danger due to the serious humanitarian situation.
“We have been powerless for months to the dramatic deterioration of their living conditions. His situation today is unsustainable, despite courage, professional commitment and exemplary resilience,” AFP management said in a statement on Monday. “Their lives are in danger, so we ask the Israeli authorities to allow their immediate withdrawal along with their families,” the note adds. The French minister explained that his government is working on the matter. “We hope to be able to remove some journalist collaborators in the coming weeks,” he said. “We dedicate a lot of effort and energy,” he added.
The Journalists Society, a group of representation of the AFP newsroom, also said on Monday that it fears “seeing the death” of its colleagues in Gaza. “We lost journalists in conflicts, we had injured and prisoners among our ranks, but none of us remember to have seen a collaborator starving,” the group said. AFP removed eight people from its team and its Gaza families between January and April 2024.
UN and humanitarian organizations often warn of the risk of widespread hunger in Gaza, a territory devastated by the war began on October 7, 2023 with the Hamas attack against Israel. The Israeli army announced on Monday the expansion of its operations in Palestinian territory, a gesture that Barrot condemned “with greater firmness.” “There is no more justification for Israeli army military operations in Gaza. It is an offensive that will aggravate an already catastrophic situation,” he said.
*With information from AFP
