Overview
- The International Federation of Journalists and the National Union of Journalists lodged the complaint on November 26 with the Paris antiterrorism prosecutor.
- The filing alleges obstruction of the freedom to inform in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including refusals of independent access for foreign media since October 2023 except for tightly controlled embeds.
- The complainants contend that some actions may amount to war crimes and ask prosecutors to open a formal investigation under French jurisdiction when offenses target French citizens.
- The submission cites numerous anonymous accounts reporting equipment seizures, threats, assaults, detentions and expulsions, and describes one West Bank episode in which an armed group of Israeli civilians pursued a journalist, while a separate French reporter has filed an assault complaint against settlers.
- Press watchdogs report that more than 220 journalists have been killed since the war’s escalation, reinforcing the safety concerns cited by the unions.