Two major journalism organisations have filed a legal complaint in Paris accusing the Israeli authorities of blocking French reporters from covering the war in Gaza – a move that could test how France applies its own press-freedom protections in an international conflict.
Issued on: 02/12/2025 - RFI
Mourners and colleagues holding 'press' signs surround the body of Al-Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul, killed along with his cameraman Rami al-Refee in an Israeli strike during their coverage of Gaza's Al-Shati refugee camp, on 31 July 2024. © Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP
The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) confirmed on Tuesday that they had lodged a complaint for “obstruction of the freedom to practise journalism” at a Paris court.
They argue that Israel’s restrictions on media access, along with reported intimidation and violence against French journalists working in the region, amount not only to a breach of press freedom but potentially to war crimes.
Because the allegations concern French citizens, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) is authorised to open an investigation.
In a 100-page submission – made public by FranceInfo – the unions say the case is the first to lean on France’s specific offence of obstructing journalistic freedom, and the first to urge prosecutors to consider its application in an international setting where, they argue, attacks on the media have become “structural”.
'Violation of humanitarian law'
“This complaint denounces a concerted, sometimes violent, obstruction preventing French journalists from working in the Palestinian Territories and undermining press freedom,” said lawyer Louise El Yafi, one of the legal representatives behind the filing.
Her colleague, solicitor Inès Davau, said the complaint also draws attention to rising risks faced by French reporters in the West Bank. “These attacks, which violate international humanitarian law, also constitute war crimes,” she added.
The unions’ action is further supported by a French journalist – working across several French-language outlets and requesting anonymity – who has filed his own complaint after allegedly being assaulted by settlers while reporting in the occupied territories.
Multiple cases linked to Gaza
This comes as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says more than 210 media workers have been killed since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.
Press groups have repeatedly criticised Israel’s longstanding refusal to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza independently, with only a small number permitted to join Israeli troops under tight supervision.
The Paris complaint arrives amid a swathe of other France-based legal actions linked to the conflict.
These include cases concerning Franco-Israeli soldiers serving in an elite IDF unit, the French arms manufacturer Eurolinks, and several Franco-Israelis accused of complicity in the crime of colonisation.
Separately, PNAT has already asked an investigating judge to examine potential war crimes in the deaths of two French children killed during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in October 2023.
(with newswires)
The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) confirmed on Tuesday that they had lodged a complaint for “obstruction of the freedom to practise journalism” at a Paris court.
They argue that Israel’s restrictions on media access, along with reported intimidation and violence against French journalists working in the region, amount not only to a breach of press freedom but potentially to war crimes.
Because the allegations concern French citizens, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) is authorised to open an investigation.
In a 100-page submission – made public by FranceInfo – the unions say the case is the first to lean on France’s specific offence of obstructing journalistic freedom, and the first to urge prosecutors to consider its application in an international setting where, they argue, attacks on the media have become “structural”.
'Violation of humanitarian law'
“This complaint denounces a concerted, sometimes violent, obstruction preventing French journalists from working in the Palestinian Territories and undermining press freedom,” said lawyer Louise El Yafi, one of the legal representatives behind the filing.
Her colleague, solicitor Inès Davau, said the complaint also draws attention to rising risks faced by French reporters in the West Bank. “These attacks, which violate international humanitarian law, also constitute war crimes,” she added.
The unions’ action is further supported by a French journalist – working across several French-language outlets and requesting anonymity – who has filed his own complaint after allegedly being assaulted by settlers while reporting in the occupied territories.
Multiple cases linked to Gaza
This comes as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says more than 210 media workers have been killed since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.
Press groups have repeatedly criticised Israel’s longstanding refusal to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza independently, with only a small number permitted to join Israeli troops under tight supervision.
The Paris complaint arrives amid a swathe of other France-based legal actions linked to the conflict.
These include cases concerning Franco-Israeli soldiers serving in an elite IDF unit, the French arms manufacturer Eurolinks, and several Franco-Israelis accused of complicity in the crime of colonisation.
Separately, PNAT has already asked an investigating judge to examine potential war crimes in the deaths of two French children killed during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in October 2023.
(with newswires)
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