The Times, major media organizations pressure Israel to lift Gaza reporting restrictions

Arab News

7 days ago

LONDON: The Times and several major international news outlets renewed calls over the weekend for Israel to lift its ban on journalist access and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, amid mounting concerns over the enclave's deepening hunger crisis.
'Reporting from any conflict zone is a risky and brave pursuit that ultimately performs a global public service,' Philip Pan, the international editor of The Times, said in a statement on Sunday. 'Adding the threat of food deprivation and even starvation to these risks is deeply concerning.'
Humanitarian organizations and global leaders have warned of Gaza's escalating food crisis, which has led to dozens of hunger-related deaths in recent weeks.
Local Palestinian journalists, who have been reporting tirelessly since the conflict escalated 21 months ago, are also being affected by severe food shortages. Pan noted that Times reporters in Gaza 'face difficulty finding food and ensuring safe freedom of movement in order to do their jobs.'
Last week, AFP, Reuters, AP, and the BBC issued a joint statement warning that their journalists in Gaza are at risk of starvation. The statement urged Israel to allow journalists to freely enter and exit the enclave and to ensure adequate food supplies are delivered.
'For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza,' the statement read. 'They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.'
In a similar move, dozens of members of the International News Safety Institute, a nonprofit press freedom group, released a statement on Friday calling on Israel to allow journalists at risk in Gaza to leave the territory, and for international reporters to be granted entry. Signatories included The Washington Post, Financial Times, and The Guardian.
'Israel must allow other journalists into Gaza,' the statement said. 'Nearly two years into the war, no international media have been permitted to independently enter. As local reporters are killed, face the threat of starvation, or try to flee, the world will be systematically cut off from witnessing what is happening. This cannot be allowed to happen.'
Since the start of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has maintained tight restrictions on press access, placing what media organizations describe as an 'immense burden' on local reporters working amid chronic shortages of electricity, internet, food, and medical supplies.
Israeli authorities have consistently cited security concerns to justify the ban, arguing that opening access could endanger journalists or disrupt military operations. While a limited number of foreign journalists have been allowed into Gaza under Israeli army escort, press advocates argue such visits offer only tightly controlled and one-sided coverage.
Human rights and press freedom groups warn that the blockade on independent journalism appears to be a calculated effort to suppress the flow of information and obstruct the documentation of alleged war crimes that could be used against Israel in international legal proceedings.
Organizations including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty International have documented multiple cases of Palestinian journalists being directly targeted. These, they say, could amount to war crimes under international law.
On Monday, Israeli human rights organizations B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights accused the government of committing genocide in Gaza, citing repeated attacks on civilians based solely on their Palestinian identity.
Since May, CPJ has tracked the growing toll of extreme hunger on journalists in Gaza, including reports of fainting, exhaustion, cognitive impairment, and other symptoms. Medical professionals are reportedly experiencing the same conditions.
Sara Qudah, CPJ's regional director, said Israel was 'starving Gazan journalists into silence' and urged the international community to intervene. 'The world must act now: protect them, feed them, and allow them to recover while other journalists step in to help report,' she said.
On Sunday, Israel announced a pause in military operations in parts of Gaza to allow the delivery of international aid amid rising global outrage. However, aid agencies said the measures fell short of addressing the escalating humanitarian emergency.