Foreign Press Association joins long list of global media agencies demanding press freedom in devastated territory
International journalists in Israel have called for reporters to be granted immediate access to Gaza after the rapidly negotiated ceasefire came into effect, joining a long list of international media organizations demanding press freedom in the devastated territory.
In a statement released on Friday, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) urged 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 supreme court is expected to hear arguments on 23 October, “after more than a year in which the state has been allowed to delay its response”.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel has prevented international journalists from entering Gaza and reporting on the war, with the few allowed in under strict military supervision on guided tours arranged by the Israel Defense Forces.
The international media has relied on Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza, and contact with individual Palestinian civilians, aid agency staff and medical workers. But Palestinian journalists and media workers are the most at risk in the world, with 197 killed by Israeli attacks in the past two years, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
