France, July 22 -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday urged Israel to allow foreign press into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, as warnings of famine mount after 21 months of war.

"I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there and to bear witness," he told France Inter radio in an interview from eastern Ukraine.

He spoke after French press agency AFP news agency warned that the lives of Palestinian freelance journalists it was working with in Gaza were in danger and urged Israel to allow them and their families to leave the occupied coastal territory.

Asked if France would help evacuate these stringers, Barrot said France was "addressing the issue".

"We ...