Dec 14, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
France said
today it was concerned about the heavy toll among journalists covering the
conflict between Israel and Hamas, and it was pushing to get Agence
France-Presse reporters out of the Gaza Strip.
“We are keeping up our efforts regarding AFP employees,” said Christophe Lemoine, deputy spokesman for Paris’ foreign ministry.
It is “a
complex operation”, he added.
“Since
October, we have been working to allow French citizens on the ground to leave
Gaza, as well as their dependants,” Lemoine added.
He
underscored that France had managed to get Palestinians working at a French
cultural institute in Gaza out of the territory, among 154 evacuees it has
helped bring out.
“Concerning
Palestinian workers at French firms, aid groups and public figures flagged up
to us, we are still looking for solutions with our partners in the region to
get them to safety outside the Gaza Strip,” Lemoine said.
Paris also
hailed the work of journalists killed while covering the conflict.
France has
“concerns about the heavy toll paid by journalists in the context of the
conflict between Israel and Hamas,” Lemoine said.
“Civilians
must be protected, and that is especially the case for journalists. They have
to be able to freely and completely safely do their work,” he added.
At least 63
journalists and media workers — 56 Palestinians, four Israelis and three
Lebanese — have died since October 7, according to the US-based Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ).
--
AFP