Overview
- Alice Froussard was questioned, held and sent back to France after arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday despite having travel authorization and a pending press-visa application.
- Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, posted on social media celebrating the deportation and accused Froussard of supporting Hamas.
- Israeli authorities have not issued a formal administrative explanation for the refusal of entry, though Israeli media reported the ministry recommended she be barred for coverage critical of Israeli policy.
- Radio France Internationale, the Foreign Press Association and Reporters Without Borders condemned the deportation as a threat to press freedom and the French foreign ministry said it had mobilised diplomats to assist her.
- Press freedom groups and media note the case fits a pattern since the October 7, 2023 war of tight limits on foreign reporting from Gaza and high risks for local journalists, which could further reduce independent coverage of Palestinian areas.