French journalists' unions file legal case against Israel over lack of access to Gaza

Two French journalist unions filed a legal case against Israel in for obstructing the work of their journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, AFP reported om Tuesday.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the French Journalists' Union filed the complaint with the Paris anti-terror prosecutor's office last week, accusing Israel of "obstructing the freedom to inform" in a joint statement.

The complaint mentioned a journalist being pursued by around 50 Israelis armed with "guns, cans of petrol and sticks" while reporting in the West Bank, all in the presence of the Israeli army.

Israel has not allowed international journalists into the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in October 2023, except when embedded with Israeli forces.

IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger said, "For more than two years, the IFJ has been calling for the borders to be opened to the foreign press so that they can relieve our colleagues who are exhausted by two years of war."