A French air traffic controller has been suspended after reportedly saying “Free Palestine” while communicating with Israeli pilots of an El Al aircraft departing from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Monday.
The Israeli airline condemned the remarks, calling them “unprofessional and inappropriate.” A spokesperson for El Al told Fox News Digital that the airline viewed the incident with the “utmost severity” but reassured passengers that flights would continue to operate safely and proudly under the Israeli flag.
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French Transportation Minister Philippe Tabarot confirmed the incident, stating that an investigation was immediately launched. “If the facts were confirmed, they would be reprehensible as they would violate the rules of radio communications, which must be limited to the safety and regularity of air traffic,” he wrote on X.
Tabarot later said recordings verified El Al’s account and confirmed that the controller had been identified and suspended “until further notice.”
The declaration comes against the backdrop of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has escalated since October 2023. According to reports, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 151,000 injured, with women and children making up the majority of victims.
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The humanitarian crisis has left nearly 80 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, with only 19 of 36 hospitals still operational. Thousands of civilians have been killed in bombings targeting schools, shelters, and aid centers. Aid workers, health professionals, and journalists have also been disproportionately targeted, with hundreds killed since the war intensified.
Meanwhile, deliberate restrictions on food and aid have led to widespread starvation, with 240 deaths, including 107 children, reported due to hunger as of April 2025.
The suspension of the French controller has sparked debate online, with some viewing the act as a violation of aviation protocol while others described it as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians enduring war and displacement.
