French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called on Israel to allow press access to Gaza, where the humanitarian crisis is dire.

France has appealed to the Israeli authorities to open press access to the Gaza Strip, where humanitarian conditions are alarming. Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot stressed the importance of a free and independent press to document the situation in the area. His statement came after the AFP journalists' union reported serious living problems for their colleagues in Gaza. Barrot also criticized the Israeli military operations as aggravating the existing crisis.