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PARIS: 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.
He spoke after the AFP news agency warned that the lives of Palestinian freelance journalists it was working with in Gaza were in danger and urged Israel to allow them and their families to leave the occupied coastal territory.
Asked if France would help evacuate these stringers, Barrot said France was “addressing the issue.”
“We hope to be able to evacuate some collaborators of journalists in the coming weeks,” he said.
On Monday, a group of journalists 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.”
AFP responded in a statement posted on X and Instagram.
“Since October 7, 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, which is why we urge the Israeli authorities to allow their immediate evacuation along with their families.”
AFP evacuated its eight staff members and families from Gaza between January and April 2024.
Barrot urged an “immediate ceasefire” after Israel on Monday expanded military operations to the central city of Deir el-Balah.
“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.”

LONDON: Elliot Kaufman, a member of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, has drawn sharp criticism after suggesting that the Israeli military allowed Hamas to operate unimpeded in Gaza for nearly two years.

The comment came in the wake of Israel’s first evacuation notice issued to residents of Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza, since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a post on X, Kaufman wrote: “For 21 months, Israel has essentially allowed Hamas a safe haven inside Gaza. That’s no way to fight a war, but Israel believed hostages were held in this area, and minimizing risk to them has always taken priority.”

The remarks were widely condemned for appearing to overlook the scale of destruction in Gaza, where over 70 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and humanitarian agencies warn of looming famine due to Israel’s blockade of aid.

The Palestinian death toll is nearing 60,000, about half of them women and children, according to Gaza health authorities, fueling global outrage over Israel’s ongoing military campaign.

“If Hamas is kept safe, then who are the tens of thousands they have been killing?” one user responded online.

Pro-Palestinian group Writers Against the War in Gaza — which recently published a report criticizing The New York Times for alleged links between its senior staff and pro-Israel lobbying groups — said Kaufman’s post reflects the WSJ’s “zero journalistic standards.” The group accused the outlet of allowing “literal state stenography for Israel with no consequences.”

Does the Wall Street Journal have zero journalistic standards anymore, or are Editorial Board members allowed to do literal state stenography for Israel with no consequences?

— Writers Against the War on Gaza (@wawog_now)

Kaufman has faced growing criticism over what some see as his consistent alignment with Israeli policy.

Following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent military response, he has voiced support for the Israeli government’s actions and denounced pro-Palestinian activism.

Earlier in July, Kaufman sparked further backlash over an article promoting a so-called peace plan involving a Palestinian sheikh and a proposal to have Hebron break away from the Palestinian Authority, effectively sidestepping any future Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian activist Issa Amro described the piece as a “dangerous fabrication” and criticized Kaufman for “shockingly poor journalism or deliberate misinformation.” Kan’s Palestinian affairs correspondent Elior Levy dismissed it as nonsense.

“Words come cheap, and these recycled statements have led to nothing (in the past),” Levy wrote on X. “I advise The Wall Street Journal to focus more on Wall Street and less on Hebron.”

Over the weekend, the WSJ found itself at the centre of the news after US President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and the journal for at least $10 billion over publication of a bombshell article on his friendship with the infamous alleged sex trafficker of underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein.