AFP
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday called on Israel to allow foreign press into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, as warnings of famine mount after 21 months of war.
He spoke after the AFP news agency warned that the lives of Palestinian freelance journalists it was working with in Gaza were in danger and urged Israel to allow them and their families to leave the occupied coastal territory.
"I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there and to bear witness," Barrot told France Inter radio in an interview from eastern Ukraine.
Asked if France would help AFP stringers leave Gaza, Barrot said France was "addressing the issue" and hoped to be able to evacuate freelancers working with French journalists "in the coming weeks".
He spoke after the AFP news agency warned that the lives of Palestinian freelance journalists it was working with in Gaza were in danger and urged Israel to allow them and their families to leave the occupied coastal territory.
"I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there and to bear witness," Barrot told France Inter radio in an interview from eastern Ukraine.
Asked if France would help AFP stringers leave Gaza, Barrot said France was "addressing the issue" and hoped to be able to evacuate freelancers working with French journalists "in the coming weeks".
