Latest news with #JeanNoelBarrot
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Gaza reporters starving to death – journalists' association
The last remaining Palestinian collaborators for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Gaza are starving, unable to continue working or survive under current conditions, the agency's internal journalists' association has warned. AFP has been relying on ten local freelancers since its staff withdrew from the enclave in early 2024, the Society of Journalists (SDJ) said in a statement on Monday. 'They are young, but their strength is fading. Most no longer have the physical capacity to move through the enclave to do their job,' the association wrote on X. The freelancers get paid but there's nothing to buy, the statement explained. They live in 'utter destitution,' with some suffering from untreated illnesses and severe malnutrition. With no fuel or vehicles available, the journalists travel on foot or by donkey cart to cover the conflict. Since its foundation in 1944, AFP has 'never faced the horror of watching one of our collaborators starve to death,' the association concluded. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot responded to the statement on Monday, saying the government hopes to evacuate some of the agency's collaborators in the coming weeks. He also demanded that international press be allowed to enter Gaza 'to show what is happening there and to bear witness.' Israel has banned foreign journalists from the enclave, citing security risks and the need to prevent the leaking of sensitive operational information. Only tightly escorted visits with the Israeli military have been allowed. Last month, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) described the ban as 'unprecedented' and called for it to be lifted. In May, after nearly three months of total blockade, Israel announced it would permit only a minimal flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Officials described the policy as necessary to prevent mass starvation while continuing to pressure Hamas. International organizations and human right groups have long issued warnings of 'catastrophic hunger' and rising fatalities from malnutrition in Gaza. The current conflict began in October 2023 after a deadly Hamas incursion into southern Israel left 1200 people dead. Since then, over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
LBCI
a day ago
- Politics
- LBCI
France FM urges foreign press access to Gaza
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday urged Israel to allow foreign press into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, as warnings of famine mount after 21 months of war. "I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there and to bear witness," he told France Inter radio in an interview from eastern Ukraine.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
France's top diplomat calls for foreign press access to Gaza
France's foreign minister urged Israel on Tuesday to allow international journalists into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza to "bear witness" to the situation after 21 months of war. 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". - 'Immediate intervention' - 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." - 'No longer any justification' - 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."
France 24
a day ago
- Politics
- France 24
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". 'Immediate intervention' 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." 'No longer any justification' 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." © 2025 AFP
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Top French diplomat visits Ukraine frontline region
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday visited Ukraine's northeastern frontline region of Kharkiv, where Russia launched a new offensive last year. With a small group of journalists including AFP, Barrot walked through the center of Kharkiv, which is under constant fire from the Russian forces located some 30 kilometers (18 miles) away. 'Russia isn't only leading its war of aggression on the front line. It also deliberately targets civilians, residential areas and businesses to undermine Ukrainian morale,' Barrot said standing on a rooftop overlooking the city, from where ruined offices and residential buildings could be seen. His Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga thanked him for the visit, saying 'our people need to understand that they are not alone.' Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, was home to 1.4 million people before the war and has long been known for literature, industry, and student life. 'War is waged not only with trucks and tanks, but also with intelligence,' Barrot said, before heading to the Kharkiv literature museum. He then visited a military position at an undisclosed location, where he was briefed on the front line situation in northeastern and eastern Ukraine. The minister also spoke to servicemen and had lunch in the military canteen.
