AFP warns Gaza journalists risk starving to death amid ongoing Israeli siege
The AFP journalists' union has warned that its colleagues working in Gaza are facing death from starvation, as a result of Israel's blockade on the besieged Palestinian territory.
Famine caused by Israel's war and blockade on Gaza is spreading across the region, with a growing number of deaths due to malnutrition and dehydration reported in recent days.
"We have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and imprisoned in our ranks, but none of us remembers seeing a colleague die of hunger," the union, SDJ (Society of Journalists), said in a statement on Monday.
Following the union's statement, AFP management said it "shares the anguish expressed by the SDJ regarding the appalling situation of its staff" and urged Israel to allow their evacuation.
"For months, we have been helplessly witnessing the dramatic deterioration of their living conditions. Their situation is now untenable, despite exemplary courage, professional commitment and resilience," an AFP statement said on Monday.
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The AFP has ten Palestinian photographers and reporters working in the enclave.
One includes a reporter named Bashar, who on Saturday wrote on his Facebook account: "I don’t have the power to cover media anymore. My body is lean and I no longer have the ability to walk."
On Sunday, he shared an update, in which he wrote: "For the first time, I feel defeated."
He appealed to his colleagues for help: "I wish Mr Macron could help me get out of this hell."
"Bashar has been living since February in the ruins of his home in Gaza City with his mother, his four siblings and the family of one of his brothers," the SDJ said, adding that one brother had died from hunger.
Another journalist mentioned in the statement, Ahlam, is in the south of the enclave where she says she is determined to "bear witness" for as long as possible.
"Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, conduct an interview or document a fact, I don't know if I'll come back alive," the SDJ quoted her as saying.
The biggest problem, she said, is the lack of food and water.
Despite the monthly salary AFP pays its journalists in Gaza, they cannot buy anything due to exorbitant prices and shortages.
Reporters also travel "on foot or by donkey cart", due to a lack of cars and gasoline, and to avoid being targeted by Israeli strikes.
"We see their situation worsening. They are young and their strength is leaving them. Most no longer have the physical ability to travel the enclave to do their job. Their heartbreaking cries for help are now daily," the SDJ said, adding: "We refuse to see them die."
The AFP has urged Israeli authorities to allow the immediate evacuation of their reporters along with their families.
"Since 7 October, Israel has prohibited access to the Gaza Strip for all international journalists. In this context, the work of our Palestinian freelancers is crucial to inform the world," it said.
"But their lives are in danger."
Between January and April 2024, the AFP has helped evacuate eight of its staff and their families and is now taking the same steps for its freelancers.
France asks Israel to allow foreign press into Gaza
Following the statements by the AFP and its workers' union, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel to allow the foreign press into Gaza.
"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's Inter radio station on Tuesday.
The minister said France hoped to be able to evacuate freelancers working with French journalists "in the coming weeks".
He also called for an "immediate ceasefire" after Israel expanded military operations to the central city of Deir al-Balah on Monday.
"There is no longer any justification for the Israeli army's military operations in Gaza," Barrot 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."
On Monday, a group of 25 countries, including France and the United Kingdom, called on Israel to end its 21-month war on Gaza and said the suffering of ordinary Palestinians had "reached new depths".
"We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," the countries said in a joint statement.
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