AFP Journalists' Association warns its Gaza reporters face death by starvation

Al-Ahram Weekly

2 days ago

The journalists' association of Agence France-Presse (AFP) issued a stark and emotional statement on Monday, warning that the news agency's final remaining contributors inside the Gaza Strip are facing imminent death by starvation, as Israel's blockade on food and aid continues.
The statement, posted on X, underscores the desperation gripping the Strip's last journalists amid a deepening famine.
"Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger. We refuse to see them die."
The association confirmed that, following the departure of its staff correspondents in 2024, its operations in Gaza have relied on a core team of ten freelance collaborators: one text reporter, three photographers, and six videographers.
Despite the increasing risk to journalists in the Strip, these individuals have continued to risk their lives to document the humanitarian catastrophe.
Now, they are on the brink of collapse. One, Bashar—AFP's chief freelance photographer in Gaza—posted a harrowing message on Facebook last Saturday:
"I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin, and I can no longer work."
'We refuse to watch them die'
The AFP statement paints a grim picture of life for these reporters. Bashar, 30, lives in the ruins of his home in Gaza City alongside his mother, siblings, and extended family.
Their shelter is devoid of basic necessities—no beds, no electricity, and little food. On Sunday morning, Bashar reported that his eldest brother had "fallen, because of hunger."
These journalists, though still paid monthly by AFP, face a brutal economic blockade. There is little or nothing to buy, and what remains comes at exorbitant prices.
A collapsed banking system has made accessing their salaries nearly impossible, with informal currency exchange networks charging up to 40 percent in fees.
There are no AFP vehicles or fuel left to support field work, and travelling by car risks Israeli airstrikes. Journalists now walk or use donkey carts to reach locations—if their physical strength allows.
Ahlam, another contributor, continues to report from the south.
'Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, conduct an interview, or document something, I don't know if I will come back alive… The biggest problem is the lack of food and water,' Ahlam said.
The AFP journalists' association stated: "We see their situation worsening. They are young, and their strength is fading. Most no longer have the physical capacity to travel around the enclave to do their work. Their heartbreaking cries for help are now daily."
On Sunday, Bashar wrote: "For the first time, I feel defeated." Later, he reportedly thanked one of his AFP contacts for "explaining what we live through every day between death and hunger," and added: "I wish Mr. Macron could help me get out of this hell."
Gaza's descent into famine
AFP's call comes amid dire warnings from humanitarian organizations about worsening famine conditions in Gaza.
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a 17 July update that Gaza is experiencing "persistent famine risks," with people surviving on a single poor-quality meal per day—or none at all.
Families are turning to fasting, rationing bread for children, begging, and even scavenging for scraps in dumps.
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that around 500,000 people in Gaza are currently starving.
"I met many of those families who told me that there are days that their children are not eating at all," WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau stated, following a visit.
He also noted that parents are trying to prevent children from playing to reduce their calorie expenditure.
While aid convoys are technically allowed entry through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established in late May with US and Israeli backing, the flow of aid remains wholly inadequate.
The WFP warns that humanitarian cargoes are often delayed at checkpoints for up to 20 hours and that the incoming food supplies are only a fraction of what is needed.
Worse, militarized distribution has triggered deadly chaos: Israeli and American soldiers have killed nearly 1,000 starving Palestinians as they tried to access aid near distribution sites or along convoy routes.
As fuel, medical supplies, and food dwindle, prices of basic goods have skyrocketed, and malnutrition-related deaths are rising rapidly.
A broken aid system
The GHF system—created to replace UN-led food distribution—has drawn fierce criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International released a report in early July accusing Israel and the US of deliberately weaponizing starvation to advance military objectives in Gaza.
'Israel has turned aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate starved Palestinians,' the report said.
Amnesty's secretary general, Agnès Callamard, said, 'This devastating daily loss of life is the consequence of their deliberate targeting by Israeli forces and the foreseeable consequence of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution.'
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported an unprecedented surge in child malnutrition at its Gaza clinics, with 983 children enrolled in feeding programmes in Gaza City alone by early July—nearly four times the number in May.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has also warned that Israel is starving Gaza's civilian population, including one million children.
'We are witnessing a real state of famine,' the Palestinian Health Ministry added.
Press freedom under siege
AFP's Gaza collaborators represent some of the last independent voices on the ground. With international press barred and local journalists facing lethal danger, the few who remain are vital to documenting the war's human toll. But these journalists are now being physically erased by hunger.
According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), at least 229 journalists have been killed since October 2023, making Gaza the most dangerous place on Earth for journalists today.
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna stated that "Since the war in Gaza started, journalists have been paying the highest price – their lives – for their reporting. Without protection, equipment, international presence, communications, or food and water, they are still doing their crucial jobs to tell the world the truth."
Even as AFP freelancers continue working, their ability to do so diminishes with each passing day. Their cameras are still, their batteries uncharged, their bodies wasting.
'Here, resisting is not a choice: it is a necessity,' Ahlam insisted.
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