International media call for free access to Gaza Strip for Israel
To the 64 signatories belong large media organizations such as the US news network CNN, the US newspapers "New York Times" and "Washington Post," the British broadcasting corporation BBC, as well as the news agencies Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Associated Press (AP).
The signatories lament that nine months after the start of the war between the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas and the Israeli army, international media have no access to the Gaza Strip, with the exception of rare organized and escorted trips by the Israeli army.
Foreign media must be granted "unrestricted access" to the area again, the letter states. The expulsion of foreign reporters from the Gaza Strip imposes an "unbearable and unacceptable" burden on local journalists reporting on the war.
The signatories called on the Israeli government to uphold press freedom and fulfill its obligations to protect "Journalists as civilians."
The letter was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). According to this non-governmental organization, more than 100 journalists have been killed in the Gaza War, making it one of the bloodiest conflicts for the media to date. The journalists still working in the Gaza Strip "work under conditions of extreme scarcity," the CPJ declared.
The Gaza War was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, during which, according to Israeli reports, 1195 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been acting militarily in the Gaza Strip. According to the health ministry controlled by Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, over 38,340 people have been killed.
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The signatories, including the BBC and CNN, express concern over the limited access international media have to the Gaza Strip, apart from occasional escorted trips by the Israeli army. They urge the Israeli government to guarantee unrestricted access for foreign journalists, as the current situation places an overwhelming burden on local reporters covering the conflict.
News agencies such as AFP and AP, along with their US counterparts like the New York Times and Washington Post, join in this appeal, emphasizing the importance of upholding press freedom and protecting journalists as civilians in the region.
The unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel in October 2021, resulting in the deaths of 1195 people and 251 hostages in the Gaza Strip, sparked the escalation of the ongoing conflict. Despite this, the continuous military action by Israel in the Gaza Strip has reportedly led to over 38,340 casualties, according to Hamas's health ministry, though these figures cannot be independently verified.
International news broadcaster CNN, among other media organizations, has highlighted the critical situation of journalists working under extreme scarcity in the Gaza Strip, calling for improved conditions and protection of their safety.
The signatory organizations, in their collective call to action, emphasize that the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip has become one of the most deadly conflicts for the media in history, with over 100 journalists having lost their lives, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
This powerful coalition of media organizations advocates for the Israeli government to uphold its commitment to international media, granting unrestricted access to the region and ensuring the protection of journalists as civilians during the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
