PARIS: The French Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the French organization in Gaza was hit by an Israeli attack. According to media reports, Agence France-Presse (AFP) office in the Gaza Strip was also targeted by Israeli airstrike in the region.
The French Foreign Ministry stated that it had asked Israel to explain the causes behind the airstrike on the institute, and repeated its “very strong concerns” over the increasing number of civilian victims in the Gaza Strip.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris was starting to evacuate its nationals, and he also reiterated his calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. Similarly, the French authorities said that 34 French citizens had been evacuated from the Gaza.
AFP confirmed its office in the Gaza was attacked by the Israeli military and seriously suffered by an attack.
#UPDATE The day after an explosion seriously damaged AFP's Gaza office, the Israeli army, which has shelled the Palestinian territory for weeks, claimed Friday it carried out a strike 'nearby' to the agency's bureau without having 'in any way' targeted ithttps://t.co/9wO7H6MHoA pic.twitter.com/Jevcq6o16D
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 3, 2023
“AFP denounced in the strongest terms this attack on its regional office,” it said.
