The French government is cracking down on cigarettes in public, announcing a sweeping outdoor smoking ban that aims to clear the air for the next generation of Parisians (and everyone else).

Beginning July 1, France will ban smoking in a wide range of outdoor public areas, including beaches, public parks, gardens, bus stops, sports venues and anywhere near schools, according to reporting from the BBC and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin told Ouest-France, a regional French newspaper, in an interview published Thursday.

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“The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins.”

Under the new rules, lighting up in these designated areas could earn violators a fine of up to $153, as reported by AFP. Enforcement will primarily be handled by regular police, though Vautrin said she’s counting on a dose of “self-regulation” from the public.

There’s a carve-out for culture, though. France’s iconic “terrasses,” the bustling outdoor café seating areas, are exempt from the ban. 

Smokers can still enjoy a cigarette with their espresso and croissant, provided they’re seated at a café. The BBC confirmed that these social spaces, which are practically a national institution, won’t be affected.

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A cigarette and tobacco shop in the 4th arrondissement of Paris is seen on Sept. 13, 2024. (ANTOINE BOUREAU/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

E-cigarettes are also currently excluded from the restrictions, but Vautrin told Ouest-France that her office is working on future limits to the nicotine levels allowed in vapes.

The move marks a significant expansion of France’s existing anti-smoking laws.

Smoking has already been banned in restaurants, nightclubs and indoor public places since 2008. Local efforts to restrict smoking in public spaces have been growing steadily. According to AFP, more than 1,500 French municipalities have already enacted their own outdoor smoking bans and hundreds of beaches have been smoke-free for years.

A chef rolls a cigarette during a break outside a restaurant in Paris on April 8, 2025. (XAVIER GALIANA/AFP via Getty Images)

According to data from the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction cited by the BBC, just 23.1% of French adults smoke daily, the lowest level ever recorded and a drop of over five percentage points since 2014.

Still, tobacco-related illnesses remain a leading cause of death. France’s National Committee Against Smoking reports that more than 75,000 people die each year from smoking, around 13% of all annual deaths in the country.

Support for the new restrictions appears strong. A report from La Ligue Contre le Cancer, a prominent French cancer association, found that nearly 80% of French citizens favor smoke-free public areas like parks, beaches and woodlands.

But while many in France welcome the move, some have raised concerns over the balance between public health and personal liberty. Conservatives may see the ban as another example of top-down government overreach.

Be careful lighting up on your summer vacations in France this year as it may just get you a fine.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that his country could “apply sanctions” against Israelis unless the government in Tel Aviv responds to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Speaking during a visit to Singapore on Friday, Macron said the international community could not remain passive while Palestinians in Gaza face a deepening hunger crisis. The comments raise further the international pressure building on Israel, which has blockaded the Palestinian enclave for close to three months, with aid agencies warning of famine.

“The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground,” Macron said at a joint news conference alongside Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

“If there is no response in the coming hours and days in line with the humanitarian situation, we will have to harden our collective position,” he added, suggesting that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.

Israel recently said it was bowing to international pressure and would allow “minimal” supplies of food and medicine into Gaza, on which it continues to wage an intense military assault.

However, the trickle of aid entering the strip under the control of a new NGO backed by Israel and the United States has been accompanied by looting and violence.

In his comments, Macron called for an end to assumptions that Israel is respecting human rights.

“But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response,” he added.

The French leader also stressed that recognition of a Palestinian state is “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity,” although he added that its establishment would need to come under specific conditions.

His remarks followed a joint statement earlier in the week with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto condemning any Israeli plans to seize control of Gaza or expel its population.

Paris is hoping to rally momentum for a conditional recognition of Palestinian statehood, which would require, among other things, the demilitarisation of Hamas.

French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel’s security.

However, some diplomats and experts suggest that such moves would infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits.

Imminent starvation

Despite some aid starting to trickle into Gaza after the Israeli blockade, the humanitarian crisis remains dire. Experts warn that one in five people faces imminent starvation.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private initiative supported by the United States and Israel, expanded its relief operations on Thursday. But the group’s efforts have been widely condemned by the United Nations and other agencies as insufficient, poorly managed and not adhering to humanitarian principles.

GHF centres have become sites of chaos, violence, and desperation with scenes of disorder running through the week as huge numbers of hungry people have overwhelmed security forces at distribution points.

An Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza reported on Friday that several people were wounded by Israeli army gunfire in the centre of the enclave as they tried to reach an aid distribution point set up by GHF.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Friday that it was prepared to deliver supplies – including food parcels, hygiene kits and medical aid – from its warehouses in Amman, just a few hours’ drive from Gaza, if allowed access.

Meanwhile, talks over a ceasefire in Israel’s war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas continue, with the US having put forward a new proposal.

Hamas has said the proposal is “still under discussion”, but in its current form would only result in “the continuation of killing and famine” in Gaza.