French journalist unions file legal complaint accusing Israel of obstructing press freedom

The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have filed a complaint with France's national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office (Pnat), accusing Israeli authorities of "obstructions to press freedoms" in the Palestinian territories.

The two organisations — the largest journalist union in France and the largest journalist union worldwide — announced the move on Tuesday.

Their complaint denounces what they describe as "an organised, systematic and prolonged" effort to prevent journalists, including French reporters, from accessing Gaza and carrying out their work safely.

According to the complaint, no foreign journalist has been allowed to enter Gaza freely since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

The unions say this amounts to an "unprecedented blackout in an armed conflict," compounded by "ruthless repression of Palestinian journalists and media professionals."

The SNJ and IFJ stress that they are not targeting a specific individual, but rather a range of state and non-state actors.

"The obstructions documented by the IFJ and SNJ are committed by military, police, customs and administrative units, as well as by private individuals and settlers in the occupied territories," the press statement reads.

The SNJ argues that these measures serve to "prevent accurate and nuanced coverage of events to impose a one-way narrative."

Louise El Yafi, one of the two lawyers behind the complaint, told French broadcaster Franceinfo: "This is all the more unprecedented given that the Palestinian journalists on the ground are themselves working in extremely dangerous conditions."

She added that the complaint "goes to the very heart of democracy. When you prevent journalists from entering a war zone, you prevent society from understanding what is going on there."

Reports of harassment and physical attacks

French journalists operating in the region have described being denied access to certain areas and having their equipment checked or confiscated.

Some reported being physically assaulted, held at gunpoint, arrested, interrogated, detained, or arbitrarily expelled.

One journalist working for several French-language newsrooms said he was the target of a night-long manhunt by "around 50 Israeli citizens [armed] with firearms, petrol cans and sticks."

The complaint argues that Israel's actions constitute "war crimes" against French journalists, giving Pnat the right to open an investigation.

Lawyers Inès Davau and Louise El Yafi describe the legal action as unprecedented.

"This is the first time that a legal action of this nature, based both on systematic obstruction of the profession of journalist and on war crimes targeting these professionals, has been brought before a national court to protect French reporters in conflict zones," they said.

However, an Israeli diplomatic source told Euronews that the unions' actions lack a legal basis.

"It's an illegal procedure and we don't have details of this procedure — but it doesn't mean Israel has any standing in this complaint," the source said.

Israel, the source added, has repeatedly explained that allowing journalists into Gaza is unsafe. "It's nothing more than a smokescreen to try and defame Israel."

They dismissed the legal complaint as "another attempt at legal warfare against Israel, and this is not the first time nor the last time."

Several other complaints have been filed in France in recent months against Franco-Israeli soldiers, the arms manufacturer Eurolinks, and individuals accused of complicity in settlement-related crimes.

Since October 2023, at least 225 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed, according to IFJ figures published on 30 October 2025. Many others have been injured or remain missing.

The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on 29 November that more than 70,100 people had been killed since the start of the war.