Israel deports French journalist over criticism of Gaza genocide

Israel on Thursday denied entry to a French journalist and deported her to Paris over her criticism of Israel’s two-year genocidal war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Communications Minister Amichai Chikli said in a post on US social media company X that French journalist Alice Froussard was leaving Ben Gurion Airport and returning to France. “I am pleased to announce that Alice Froussard, the pro-Hamas French journalist who believes the Oct. 7 massacre should be viewed in context, is leaving Ben Gurion Airport on her way back to Paris,” Chikli wrote. According to Israeli news website The Times of Israel, the Foreign Ministry said Froussard arrived in Israel on Thursday for work but was stopped and placed on a return flight to France. The ministry claimed that investigators found that the journalist had made a series of statements deemed hostile to Israel, including describing Israeli military operations in Gaza as a “massacre,” accusing Israel of apartheid and allegedly justifying the Oct. 7, 2023 events. Froussard did not immediately comment on her deportation or the allegations against her. According to The Times of Israel, Froussard has spent the past six years living and working in Jerusalem and Ramallah and has worked for several French media outlets, including Radio France Internationale (RFI), France Culture, Le Figaro, TV5 Monde and Mediapart. The report said the French Embassy in Israel expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision. Israel has deported and barred entry to several foreign journalists and activists in recent months over criticism of Israeli policies and actions. The Israeli army has killed nearly 73,000 people and injured over 173,000 others, mostly women and children, in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, that has also caused widespread destruction to 90% of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure. *Writing Sahin Demir in Istanbul.