Media groups urge Israel to allow Gaza access for foreign journalists
NEW YORK: More than 130 news outlets and press freedom groups called Thursday for Israel to immediately lift a near-total ban on international media entering Gaza, while calling for greater protections for Palestinian journalists in the territory.
Israel has blocked most foreign correspondents from independently accessing Gaza since it began its war there following the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by militant group Hamas.
An open letter shared by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders called the restrictions 'a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare.'
Signees included AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd, The Associated Press executive editor Julie Pace, and the editor of Israeli newspaper Haaretz Aluf Benn.
The letter added that many Palestinian journalists -- whom news outlets have relied on to report from inside Gaza -- face a litany of threats.
'Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation,' it said.
'To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness.
'This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information.'
The letter added that it was a 'pivotal moment' in Israel's war -- with renewed military actions and efforts to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza.
This, it said, makes it 'vital that Israel open Gaza's borders for international journalists to be able to report freely and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.'
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a separate statement that Israel must grant journalists access and allow them to work in Gaza 'without fear for their lives.'
'When journalists are killed in such unprecedented numbers and independent international media is barred from entering, the world loses its ability to see clearly, to understand fully, and to respond effectively to what is happening,' she said.
Reporters Without Borders head Thibaut Bruttin said the media blockade on Gaza 'is enabling the total destruction and erasure of the blockaded territory.'
'This is a methodical attempt to silence the facts, suppress the truth, and isolate the Palestinian press and population,' he said in a statement.
Thursday's letter was issued the same day the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said three reporters were killed by a strike close to a hospital in Gaza City.
Israel's military said the strike had targeted 'an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was operating in a command and control center' in the yard of the hospital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Thousands march in Rome to protest 'complicity' on Gaza war
HUNDREDS of thousands of people marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday to protest the war in Gaza in a rally called by opposition parties denouncing the government's alleged 'complicity' in the conflict. 'Stop the massacre, stop complicity!' read a wide banner held by protestors at the start of the march, amid a sea of red, white and green Palestinian flags, peace flags and 'Free Palestine' signs. The peaceful protest attracted a massive crowd -- estimated by organisers at 300,000 people. Police had not provided official size estimates. It made its way from Rome's central Piazza Vittorio to San Giovanni, where speakers took to a stage to urge an end to the violence and denounce what some called the silence of the far-right Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, called the turnout 'an enormous popular response' in opposition to the war. Italy's Five Star Movement and the Greens-Left Alliance were also behind the protest. The demonstration was 'to say enough to the massacre of Palestinians, to say enough to the crimes of Netanyahu's far-right government' and to show the world 'another Italy', Schlein told journalists. 'An Italy that does not keep silent as the Meloni government does, an Italy that instead wants peace, wants an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, humanitarian aid, and wants recognition of the state of Palestine,' she said. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine. In Italy, Meloni has been pushed by the opposition to condemn the actions of Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, but her criticism has been tempered. Last month, Meloni called the humanitarian situation 'increasingly dramatic and unjustifiable' and said she had had 'often difficult conversations' with Netanyahu, while at the same time noting that 'it was not Israel that started the hostilities'. Many protesters came from across Italy to participate in the demonstration in the capitol, including Gabriella Branca, a lawyer from Genoa. 'It's unbearable to witness the massacre of 60,000 people, including 20,000 children. We have to say enough,' the 67-year-old told AFP. 'In other countries, as you know, demonstrations have drawn millions of people, so I hope that today in Rome we can send a signal to all of Italy, so that everyone takes to the streets to say enough and above all, to try to find peace,' she said.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
WorldPride March in Washington thumbs nose at Trump
WASHINGTON: Rainbow flags flooded Washington's streets on Saturday as the US capital celebrated WorldPride with a massive show of support for LGBTQ rights, which are facing an assault by the Trump administration. 'We just have to show this administration, that we are united, that we cannot be broken,' said Amy Froelich, a 46-year-old artist and teacher, dressed in a rainbow-colored jumpsuit. 'We need to be an ally to our brothers and sisters and our trans community,' she said, seated next to her wife on green chairs near the starting line for a massive parade that marks the culmination of weeks of festivities. 'All of our laws and any protections that we've been working so hard for (are) getting reversed.' The WorldPride festival, a rotating global event advocating for LGBTQ equality worldwide, is being hosted in Washington this year -- a stone's throw from the White House and a president seemingly intent on rolling back rights hard-won by that community. Since returning to power in January, Donald Trump and his administration have slapped back LGBTQ rights gained in recent decades, in particular by members of the trans community. On his first day in office, Trump declared the federal government would recognize only two genders -- men and women -- and he has since targeted transgender people in a slew of other orders. Transgender American actress Laverne Cox, best known for her role in the series 'Orange is the New Black,' addressed the crowd at the parade starting line. 'I knew I had to be here, surrounded by community, because you give me so much hope,' she said. 'I don't have any faith in our government... but I have faith in you.' 'Big dark cloud' A few meters away, standing on the roof of the first bus in the parade, Yasmin Benoit, who came from Britain to show support for the US LGBT community, waved to the crowd. 'We are literally on Trump's doorstep right now, and I'm sure he's not thrilled about all of this,' the 28-year-old model and activist told AFP. Benoit said she had been detained by border police upon her arrival in the United States, but was finally allowed to enter. 'It's definitely not the easiest place to come to, but I feel like that makes it a little more important to try,' she said. Trump's policies are on the minds of many taking part in this year's festival. 'It's been a big dark cloud since he was elected really,' said Ginny Kinsey, sitting in the shade with a friend. Her wife, she said, had been working as a federal civil servant, but had been forced to change careers amid government funding cuts. 'My wife just switched jobs in the government, and she made the decision to not be out at her new job, (as) she was in her previous job,' she said. 'People are just hiding again.' 'Unfair' Trying to cool off with his fan under the blazing Washington sun, Bill George, 74, said he had come 'to celebrate who we are.' 'We're as human as anybody else.' The retiree, who came out in 1975, has taken part in a number of demonstrations for LGBTQ rights, as well as for human rights and civil rights over the years. 'Conservatism is a wave, that is actually attacking us again,' he told AFP, adding that he was furious with the Trump administration. 'We will protest everything that he's doing that we think is unfair.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
WorldPride Lights Up DC as LGBTQ Rights Face Backlash
WASHINGTON: Rainbow flags flooded Washington's streets on Saturday as the US capital celebrated WorldPride with a massive show of support for LGBTQ rights, which are facing an assault by the Trump administration. 'We just have to show this administration, that we are united, that we cannot be broken,' said Amy Froelich, a 46-year-old artist and teacher, dressed in a rainbow-colored jumpsuit. 'We need to be an ally to our brothers and sisters and our trans community,' she said, seated next to her wife on green chairs near the starting line for a massive parade that marks the culmination of weeks of festivities. 'All of our laws and any protections that we've been working so hard for (are) getting reversed.' The WorldPride festival, a rotating global event advocating for LGBTQ equality worldwide, is being hosted in Washington this year -- a stone's throw from the White House and a president seemingly intent on rolling back rights hard-won by that community. Since returning to power in January, Donald Trump and his administration have slapped back LGBTQ rights gained in recent decades, in particular by members of the trans community. On his first day in office, Trump declared the federal government would recognize only two genders -- men and women -- and he has since targeted transgender people in a slew of other orders. Transgender American actress Laverne Cox, best known for her role in the series 'Orange is the New Black,' addressed the crowd at the parade starting line. 'I knew I had to be here, surrounded by community, because you give me so much hope,' she said. 'I don't have any faith in our government... but I have faith in you.' 'Big dark cloud' A few meters away, standing on the roof of the first bus in the parade, Yasmin Benoit, who came from Britain to show support for the US LGBT community, waved to the crowd. 'We are literally on Trump's doorstep right now, and I'm sure he's not thrilled about all of this,' the 28-year-old model and activist told AFP. Benoit said she had been detained by border police upon her arrival in the United States, but was finally allowed to enter. 'It's definitely not the easiest place to come to, but I feel like that makes it a little more important to try,' she said. Trump's policies are on the minds of many taking part in this year's festival. 'It's been a big dark cloud since he was elected really,' said Ginny Kinsey, sitting in the shade with a friend. Her wife, she said, had been working as a federal civil servant, but had been forced to change careers amid government funding cuts. 'My wife just switched jobs in the government, and she made the decision to not be out at her new job, (as) she was in her previous job,' she said. 'People are just hiding again.' 'Unfair' Trying to cool off with his fan under the blazing Washington sun, Bill George, 74, said he had come 'to celebrate who we are.' 'We're as human as anybody else.' The retiree, who came out in 1975, has taken part in a number of demonstrations for LGBTQ rights, as well as for human rights and civil rights over the years. 'Conservatism is a wave, that is actually attacking us again,' he told AFP, adding that he was furious with the Trump administration. 'We will protest everything that he's doing that we think is unfair.'
