France demands media access to Gaza, slams Israel’s expanded military campaign

France has called for independent journalists to be allowed into Gaza to report on conditions inside the besieged enclave, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: “We hope to get some journalist staff out in the coming weeks,” referring to AFP reporters still trapped in Gaza. The French news agency earlier described their situation as “untenable,” with the Society of Journalists (SDJ) warning: “We risk seeing them die.”

An AFP statement said staff are enduring unbearable conditions despite showing “exemplary courage and resilience.” The SDJ added: “We have lost colleagues to war and imprisonment, but never to hunger.”

Barrot, speaking from Kyiv, also strongly condemned the latest Israeli assault on Gaza. “This offensive will only deepen the catastrophe,” he said.

France renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip.