• French Foreign Minister calls for foreign media access to Gaza.
• Freelance journalists face imminent danger amid worsening hunger crisis.
• Agence France-Presse reports colleagues in Gaza struggle for basic needs.
• Minister Jean-Noël Barrot hopes for evacuation of local media staff.
• U.N. warns of severe malnutrition and starvation in the region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has urged Israel to allow foreign press into Gaza as the humanitarian situation deteriorates, warning of a mounting famine after 21 months of conflict. "I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there and to bear witness," Barrot stated during an interview on France Inter radio. His remarks follow concerns from Agence France-Presse (AFP) about the safety of Palestinian journalists working within the besieged territory, where they are increasingly at risk due to food shortages and military operations, according to Le Monde and TRT World.

Barrot's call for press access comes as the AFP's internal journalists' union, the Société des Journalistes (SDJ), has issued urgent pleas for help. The union highlighted one freelancer whose brother had died from hunger, underscoring the dire conditions that journalists face. "Since AFP was founded in 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts... but none of us can ever remember seeing colleagues die of hunger," the SDJ stated, pointing to the worsening conditions under which these reporters work, according to NPR and TRT World.

The plight of these journalists is exacerbated by Israel's restrictions, which have prohibited international reporters from entering Gaza since a heightened conflict began on October 7, 2023. Reports indicate that many local reporters now struggle with severe health impacts due to hunger, affecting their ability to work and report effectively. Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director, mentioned that the journalists are "spending so much time and energy trying to source food," leading to significant physical deterioration, according to Le Monde and NPR.

In his appeal, Barrot also emphasized the need for an "immediate ceasefire," condemning the escalation of military operations by Israel in Gaza, specifically in the city of Deir el-Balah, which he believes will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation faced by civilians. His urgent message included hopes that France could help evacuate some of the local journalists in the coming weeks, aligning with calls from the global community regarding conditions in Gaza, as reported by TRT World and NPR.