Macron says Israel’s plan for Gaza is a "disaster waiting to happen"

On August 11, French President Emmanuel Macron slammed Israel's plans to step up its military operation in Gaza as a "disaster waiting to happen" and proposed an international coalition under a UN mandate to stabilise the Palestinian enclave. 

Macron spoke after the NGO Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned the "acknowledged murder by the Israeli army" of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza – and five of his colleagues, Caliber.Az reports per French media.

An Israeli strike on August 10 targeted a journalists’ tent at the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, killing five Al Jazeera staff, including Anas al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most recognised reporters. The attack occurred around 11:35 pm, as the team was working in a well-known media hub where journalists gather for better electricity and internet access.

The victims were Anas al-Sharif (28), Mohammed Qreiqeh (33), Ibrahim Zaher (25), Mohammed Noufal (29), and Moamen Aliwa. Al-Sharif was a prominent correspondent born in Jabalia refugee camp, whose father had also been killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023. Qreiqeh was reporting live shortly before the attack.

Israel claimed it deliberately targeted al-Sharif, accusing him without evidence of being a Hamas commander. Rights groups and media organisations rejected these claims, highlighting a pattern of Israel targeting journalists.

Al Jazeera condemned the killings as a “targeted assassination” and a grave attack on press freedom. The broadcaster emphasised that their journalists were among the last voices reporting from within besieged Gaza, despite Israel’s media ban since October 2023.

By Aghakazim Guliyev