France's Top Diplomat Calls For Foreign Press Access To Gaza
The United Nations and human rights groups say Gaza and its population of more than two million face famine-like conditions, with near-daily deaths of people queueing for food aid.
"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.
Jean-Noel Barrot spoke after the AFP news agency said it was concerned about "the appalling situation of its staff in the Gaza Strip", warning the lives of its freelancers were in danger and urging Israel to allow them and their families to leave the occupied coastal territory.
Asked if France would help these stringers leave Gaza, Barrot said France was "addressing the issue" and hoped to be able to evacuate some freelancers working with French journalists "in the coming weeks".
Israel accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering in the war, which started after the Palestinian militant group carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel's foreign ministry on Monday accused Hamas of "deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid".
It was responding after Britain, France, Australia, Canada and 21 other countries on Monday said the war "must end now", as the "suffering of civilians in Gaza" had "reached new depths".
On Monday, a staff association at AFP called the Societe des Journalistes (Society of Journalists) sounded the alarm, urging "immediate intervention" to help reporters working with the agency in Gaza.
The SDJ cited the example of one such freelancer, a 30-year-old living with his family in Gaza City, who reported on Sunday that his older brother "fell because of hunger".
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Monday that it was "receiving desperate messages of starvation" from its Gaza staff, as the Palestinian territory experiences surging levels of hunger.
With food scarce or unaffordable, doctors, the civil defence agency and medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have reported a spike in malnutrition cases in recent weeks.
The civil defence agency on Sunday reported at least three infant deaths from "severe hunger and malnutrition" in the past week.
Eighteen reportedly died of starvation within 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.
Israel on Monday said there was "no ban or restriction on the entry of baby formula or baby food into Gaza."
AFP evacuated its eight staff members and their families from Gaza between January and April 2024.
The agency said the situation of its freelancers had now also become "untenable".
"Since October 7, Israel has blocked access to the Gaza Strip for all international journalists. In this context, the work of our Palestinian freelancers is crucial to informing the world," it said.
"But their lives are in danger, so we urge the Israeli authorities to allow them to evacuate immediate along with their families."
Barrot called for an "immediate ceasefire, the freeing of all hostages held by Hamas, which must be disarmed, and for unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza".
"There is no longer any justification for the Israeli army's military operations in Gaza," he said.
"This is an offensive that will exacerbate an already catastrophic situation and cause new forced displacements of populations, which we condemn in the strongest terms."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
What Is The Status Of US Tariff Negotiations?
US tariff negotiations with key trading partners have shifted into high gear as economies race to avoid steeper duties before an August 1 deadline. Many of these tariff hikes were part of a package first announced in April, under which dozens of economies were due to face higher levies -- up from a 10 percent level -- over their trade surpluses with the United States. The twice-postponed deadline for duties to take effect is now Friday, August 1. But Washington has expanded its group of targets coming up against these tariffs, while announcing agreements with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. A deal with the European Union unveiled on Sunday sees a 15 percent tariff imposed on European exports to the United States, down from the 30 percent that Trump earlier threatened. Where do other US trade talks stand? Seoul is racing to reach a deal with Washington, as Tokyo's success in landing an agreement has "amped up the pressure for South Korea," a government source told AFP. Local media reported that Seoul was preparing to propose more than $100 billion in investment as part of a broader agreement, with expected participation by major firms such as Samsung and Hyundai Motor. The South Korean government did not confirm this. But South Korean officials have outlined proposals to deepen collaboration in sectors like shipbuilding, semiconductors and batteries. National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lak has told reporters that the two countries are in "the final and most crucial phase of negotiations" to avert Trump's proposed 25 percent duty. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told Bloomberg Television Thursday that he was optimistic his country could reach an agreement with the United States to avert Washington's 26 percent tariff threat. Goyal insisted there were not any sticking points in the US-India relationship or in trade talks, and clarified that immigration rules --- including those around H-1B visas for skilled workers -- had not come up in negotiations. Despite Goyal's remarks, local media reported the prospects of an interim deal before August 1 had dimmed. Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said Thursday that officials are "working hard" on negotiations, amid worries that an unfavorable tariff level could hit the self-ruled island's economy. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said Taipei's negotiating team was "working almost 24 hours a day to achieve trade balance and Taiwan's industrial interests, and even to further deepen cooperation." Although Canada and Mexico were spared from Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs announced in April, goods from both countries entering the United States generally face a separate 25 percent duty if they fall outside a North American trade pact. This figure stands to jump to 30 percent for Mexico come August 1, while the level for Canada was set at 35 percent. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration was "doing everything" possible to avert the duties and that she would speak with Trump if necessary to try to reach a pact. Trump told reporters Friday there was no deal with Canada so far. Brazil is girding for a virtual trade embargo on its planes, grains and other goods if Trump's threatened 50 percent tariff on its exports takes effect on August 1. The United States runs a trade surplus with Latin America's biggest economy, which was not originally expected to face steeper tariffs under Trump's "reciprocal" duties plan. Trump has not attempted to hide the political motivation in targeting Brazil, citing a judicial "witch hunt" against his right-wing ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, when he unveiled the tariff rate. The political nature of the spat makes a last-minute deal appear less likely.
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
UN Tackles Beleaguered Two-state Solution For Israel, Palestinians
France and Saudi Arabia will lead the charge starting Monday to revive the moribund push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians at a UN conference in New York. Days before the July 28-30 conference, to be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September. Paris's decision "will breathe new life into a conference that seemed destined to irrelevance," said Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group. "Macron's announcement changes the game. Other participants will be scrabbling to decide if they should also declare an intent to recognize Palestine." In an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that other European countries will confirm "their intention to recognize the State of Palestine" during the conference, without detailing which ones. France is hoping that Britain will take this step, and more than 200 British MPs on Friday pushed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to do so, but he reiterated that recognition of a Palestinian state "must be part of a wider plan." According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states -- including France -- now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states -- one Jewish and the other Arab. The following year, the state of Israel was proclaimed. For several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution, Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side peacefully and securely. But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could be geographically impossible. The war in Gaza started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives. The conference is a response to the crisis, with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several dozen ministers from around the world expected to attend. It is coming at a moment when "the prospect of a Palestinian state has never been so threatened, or so necessary," Barrot said. Beyond facilitating conditions for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the meeting will have three other focusses -- reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states that have not yet done so. No new normalization deals are expected to be announced at the meeting, according to a French diplomatic source. But "for the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament," Barrot said. The conference "offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an achievable plan and to demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all, for the benefit of all peoples," said Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling for "courage" from participants. Israel and the United States will not take part in the meeting, while international pressure continues to mount on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza. Despite "tactical pauses" in some military operations announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take the podium from Monday to Wednesday. Gowan said he expected "very fierce criticism of Israel." Arab countries at the conference will for the first time condemn Hamas, the French foreign minister said AFP Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several dozen senior leaders from around the world expected to attend the conference AFP
DW
11 hours ago
- DW
Russia opens new direct flights to North Korea – DW – 07/27/2025
Monthly flights from Moscow to Pyongyang were set to begin on Sunday evening in a further sign of the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia's Navy Day parade was canceled on "security grounds." The first direct passenger flight from Moscow to Pyongyang since the mid-1990s was set depart on Sunday evening in another sign of the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea. The eight-hour, 6,500-kilometer (4,040-mile) flight, operated by private Russian carrier Nordwind Airlines, was due to take off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport at 19:00 local time (18:00 CEST). The 440 places on the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft quickly sold out, Russian state media claimed, with tickets costing 44,700 rubles ($563, €479). However, the AFP news agency reported that nine tickets were still available on the airline's official website on Sunday morning. Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia has granted Nordwind Airlines permission to operate flights between the two capital cities twice a week, although the Russian transport ministry said that flights would operate only once a month to begin with in order to "help build stable demand." A return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow is scheduled for Tuesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Previously, the only direct air route between Russia and North Korea has been flights by North Korean carrier Air Koryo from Pyongyang to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East three times a week. A direct train connection between Moscow and Pyongyang was reopened on June 17 this year after being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 10,000-kilometer (6,200-mile) journey takes eight days. Russia and North Korea have increased diplomatic, economic and military ties in the wake of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery and ballistic missiles to strike Ukrainian cities, while Pyongyang has deployed more than 10,000 troops to help repulse a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Meanwhile, the Russian government said on Sunday that an annual navy parade in St. Petersburg was canceled for unspecified "security reasons." Authorities in the northwestern port city canceled the parade on Friday with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying on Sunday that "security comes first." President Vladimir Putin reintroduced Russia's "Navy Day" in 2017 after an almost four-decade absence. In a video message published on Sunday, he praised the "courage" and "heroism" of Russian marines involved in the war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022. He said the military's most important aim was to "protect the sovereignty and the national interests of the fatherland" and that the navy plays an "important role" in this. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that around 100 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Russian territory, at least ten of which were close to St. Petersburg, which temporarily closed its airport. Further south, Ukrainian drone and missile attacks have effectively forced Russia's Black Sea fleet to abandon its bases in Crimea and retreat further east. The fleet's flagship, the was sunk by Ukrainian forces on April 14, 2022, becoming the largest Russian warship to be sunk since the Second World War.
