AFP warns Gaza journalists face starvation amid ongoing Israeli siege

The AFP Journalists’ Association has issued a stark warning that its staff in Gaza are at risk of starving to death.

One of the 10 freelancers working with the French news agency posted on social media on 19 July: “I don’t have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can’t work.”

AFP said many of its Gaza-based journalists can no longer carry out their duties due to extreme hunger. “Their heartbreaking calls for help are now daily,” the association said.

While the journalists continue to receive their monthly salaries, AFP noted there is often nothing available to purchase, or basic goods are sold at unaffordable prices.

“We fear we will hear news of their deaths at any moment, and that is unbearable,” the group said.

“Since AFP’s founding in August 1944, we’ve lost colleagues in war zones, seen others wounded or imprisoned—but never have we watched someone die from hunger. We won’t accept it.”