AFP: Journalists in Gaza Could Die of Hunger

As food shortages in Gaza reach critical levels, Agence France-Presse is urgently appealing for its journalists to be allowed out of the besieged territory—raising alarm about both the physical toll on reporters and the looming loss of vital on-the-ground coverage. AFP is urging Israel to let its freelancers leave Gaza, citing an escalating hunger crisis that's making it nearly impossible for them to work, NPR reports. AFP's global news director, Phil Chetwynd, told NPR that reporters are so weakened by hunger and the constant search for food that simply getting to a story has become a struggle. "Constant headaches, constant dizziness," he said, describing their physical decline.

The AFP journalists' union echoed these concerns, saying members can't recall ever fearing colleagues might die from starvation, citing one photographer who posted online, "My body is thin and I can't work anymore." Since Israel's blockade of Gaza following Hamas' 2023 attack, international journalists have been unable to enter the enclave independently, leaving locally based freelance reporters to shoulder the burden. The crisis comes as Gaza's 2 million residents continue to face severe shortages of food and water; health officials report 25 children have died from malnutrition in just the past week. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that "starvation is knocking on every door."

At least 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, most of them Palestinian. Press freedom advocates warn that as local journalists are pushed to the brink, the world risks losing its last independent eyes and ears inside Gaza—a threat not just to information but to global accountability. French officials have backed AFP's call, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot pushing for the journalists' evacuation and pressing Israel to reopen access to international media. Israel has yet to respond to AFP's request. Oxfam says staffers who work for the charity in Gaza face similar starvation dangers, Al Jazeera reports.