The Paris-based news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) has called on Israel to facilitate the immediate evacuation of its freelance journalists from Gaza, citing the dire and “untenable” situation in the war-ravaged enclave. AFP’s appeal comes after an association of its journalists warned that their colleagues in Gaza were facing starvation. The agency emphasized that the journalists’ situation is “now untenable, despite their exemplary courage, professional commitment, and resilience.”
The Society of Journalists, an association of AFP journalists, highlighted the cases of several journalists, including a 30-year-old photographer who recently posted on social media that his “body is thin” and he had lost the strength to work. “We fear learning of their deaths at any moment, and it is unbearable for us,” the association said in a statement. “Along with a few others, they are now the only ones reporting on what is happening in the Gaza Strip. International media has been banned from entering this territory for nearly two years. We refuse to watch them die.”
The Al Jazeera Media Network also released a statement calling for “immediate action” by international organizations to bring an end to the crisis that has not spared “journalists who are the bearers of truth”. Mostefa Souag, director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, emphasized the need to amplify the voices of courageous journalists in Gaza and put an end to their unbearable suffering.
UK charity Oxfam has warned that its staff in Gaza are among those facing starvation. Bushra Khalidi, policy lead in the occupied Palestinian territory and Gaza, described the situation, saying, “My colleague, she told me on Saturday that she went to work without even water, with eating a single falafel just to keep going, and she still showed up to work.” The warnings come as Gaza health officials reported that at least 15 Palestinians, including four children, had starved to death over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of malnutrition deaths since the start of Israel’s war to 101.
Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza in March, but has since May allowed a limited amount of supplies through the controversial Israel and US-backed aid agency GHF. Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians seeking food aid since the launch of the GHF, which has been boycotted by the United Nations and leading aid agencies, most of them near the group’s distribution points, according to the UN Human Rights Office.