International journalists urge Israel to allow reporters into Gaza after ceasefire deal | Press freedom
International journalists in Israel have joined a long list of international media organizations demanding press freedom in the devastated region, calling for reporters to be granted immediate access to Gaza after a quickly negotiated ceasefire came into effect.
In a statement launched On Friday, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) called on Israel to “immediately open the borders and allow international media free and independent access to the Gaza Strip” now that hostilities have ceased. The organization also noted that the high court is expected to hear the arguments on October 23, “after more than a year during which the state was allowed to delay its response.”
Israel has prevented international journalists from entering Gaza and reporting on the war since October 7, 2023; A small number of journalists were allowed on guided tours organized by the Israel Defense Forces under strict military supervision.
International media relied on Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza and individual contacts with Palestinian civilians, aid agency personnel, and medical workers. However, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Palestinian journalists and media workers are the group most at risk in the world, with 197 people killed in Israeli attacks in the last two years.
Among the latest killed were Mariam Dagga, who worked for the Associated Press and Independent Arabia and was killed in an Israeli attack on Nasser hospital in Khan Younis on August 25, and Reuters reporter Hussam al-Masri, who was killed in the same attack.
CPJ stated that Israel targeted and killed 25 journalists during that period and described them as murders.
Israel has consistently denied that it deliberately targeted journalists in its attacks, but its military has also admitted, without evidence, that it killed journalists, including Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, whom the IDF identified as a terrorist attack. “Head of the terrorist cell”.
Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah was killed and six others, including two AFP journalists, were injured in an Israeli attack on southern Lebanon on October 13, 2023, a UN rapporteur said on Friday. it was a war crime. UN special rapporteur Morris Tidball-Binz described the incident as a “premeditated, targeted and doubly directed attack” that violated international humanitarian law.
The FPA joined numerous international organizations in requesting press access throughout the war years. In July 2025, major news agencies such as AFP, AP, BBC and Reuters published: joint statement Earlier July statement from CPJ and more than 70 media and non-governmental organizations highlighting the importance of international media access for accurate reporting He called on Israel Providing independent access to international journalists.
In February 2024, more than 30 news organisations, including the Guardian, signed a letter demanding the protection of Gaza journalists.
This week Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) published a statement A call was made to Israel for the release of detained American reporter Emily Wilder, who was in a flotilla for media workers called Conscience that went to Gaza.
