5 days ago
BBC among newsgroups 'desperately concerned' over starvation threat against journalists in Gaza
A NUMBER OF international news agencies, including Britain's BBC, are 'deeply alarmed' over reports that journalists on the ground in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation.
UN agencies and independent NGOs have warned that the
population of Gaza is at the brink of famine as Israel has restricted the flow of food, aid and medical supplies into the region
.
Over 1,000 people have reportedly been killed by gunfire at Israeli-run aid stations in recent months. Almost 2.1m people are now trapped inside a warzone and, oftentimes, must travel through active conflict areas to get food.
Israel has banned the entry of journalists into Gaza since it launched its counteroffensive against militant group Hamas in the region in October 2023. International newsgroups, such as AFP, have relied on independent reporters on the ground since then.
Conflict watchdogs and aid agencies have frequently highlighted the alleged targeting of
Palestinian journalists by Israel
, many of whom are later
inexplicably accused
of being members of local militias by the Netanyahu government.
By December 2023, the conflict was one of the deadliest for journalists in history. According to the international advocacy group, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists,
at least 186 journalists
have been killed in Gaza as of 21 July 2025.
In a
joint statement
, the BBC, AFP, Associated Press and Reuters said they are 'desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families'.
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'For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering,' it said.
'Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them.
The agencies have urged the Israeli government to allow 'adequate food supplies' to reach people in Gaza and to allow journalists in and out of the region.
Palestinian text, photo and video journalists working for international news agencies have said desperate hunger and lack of clean water is making them ill and exhausted.
Israel's military campaign against Gaza has killed 59,219 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry there.
AFP yesterday, using the testimony of its own reporters on the ground,
published first-hand accounts of what they are experiencing when trying to carry out their essential work
.
Pulizer Prize-nominated photographers, Bashar Taleb and Omar al-Qattaa, told their employer AFP that they live in the ruins of their own home.
Bashar said he has had to stop working a number of times in order to find food for him and his family, adding that he had felt 'utterly defeated emotionally' for the first time in recent weeks.
Omar said he has no energy left due to hunger and the lack of food. He relies on standard painkillers for a back injury, as basic medicines are not available in pharmacies. The lack of food and sustenance have added difficulty to the reporters' work.
One AFP contributor, Khadr Al-Zanoun, reports from Gaza city and has recently collapsed while at work. He experiences constant headaches and dizziness due to lack of food and water.
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