Journalists from satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo have held a news conference ahead of publication of a special ‘survivor’s edition’ and insisted they will not give in to extremists.

The magazine is to publish its new edition with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed on its front cover.

Mohammed is said to be depicted crying and holding a placard with the words "I am Charlie". Above him is the slogan "All is Forgiven".

The Charlie Hebdo staff who put the issue together said they wanted Mohammed on the cover to show they would not "cede" to extremists wanting to silence them.

Staff said they planned to print as many as three million copies of the magazine, the usual print run is 60,000.

Gerard Biard, editor-in-chief at Charlie Hebdo, said the new edition was produced “with pain and with joy”.

Staff said there was "no doubt" of the future of the magazine despite saying they would take a temporary break from publishing after the new issue.

The new edition will be published in multiple languages including French, Spanish, Italian, English and Arabic and will be available on the shelves for two weeks.

France has been shaken to its core by the bloodshed that began with a jihadist assault on the offices of the magazine on January 7 and ended in a deadly hostage drama at a Jewish supermarket two days later.

Charlie Hebdo, which lampoons religion indiscriminately, had received threats after depicting Mohammed before, and its offices were firebombed in 2011.

Seventeen people lost their lives in the wave of terrorist attacks across Paris last week.