By Andrea Tucci,
More than 20 countries* have called on Israel to immediately allow international journalists access to Gaza, so they can document the “ongoing humanitarian catastrophe” in the war zone.
Journalists and media workers play an essential role in shedding light on the devastating reality of war. “We oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and to prevent journalists from entering conflict areas,” the letter reads.
According to data collected by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 192 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the start of the war, and 90 are currently imprisoned. This is the deadliest conflict for journalists since the CPJ began collecting data in 1992.
The CPJ reports that at least 11 journalists and two media operators were were deliberately killed by the IDF. The Israeli government has consistently denied to target journalists, and when it has done so, it has justified the actions by claiming that the killed journalists were Hamas operatives.
In May 2024, Israel passed a law allowing the government to ban foreign broadcasters deemed a “threat to national security.” Under this legislation, Al Jazeera was banned and expelled from the country, with its offices shut down, equipment confiscated, and websites blocked.
Restrictions have also targeted other media outlets:
- Haaretz, the historic Israeli daily newspaper, has faced a complete boycott by government institutions;
- Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese channel, was entirely banned;
- AP (Associated Press) and Reuters experienced the temporary confiscation of its equipment and are subjected to severe restrictions: all footage must receive prior written approval from military censors, or else the material may be seized and press credentials revoked.
Further more all foreign media are also prohibited from entering Gaza independently. Journalists may only access the territory through “guided tours” under IDF supervision, which ensures state control over much of what the international public is allowed to see.
On the Palestinian side, reporters often face harassment at checkpoints, with their equipment confiscated and threats directed at them and their families. Their phones and computers are frequently targeted by app like spyware such as Pegasus, allowing authorities to monitor communications and sources. Many Palestinian journalists are also arrested without formal charges under “administrative detention” laws, sometimes held for months, or even prosecuted under anti-terrorism legislation for articles or social media posts critical of Israeli policies.
Finally something seems to be shifting. In July, some of the world’s largest news outlets, including BBC News, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, and Reuters, expressed being “deeply concerned” about the severe danger journalists face in Gaza. “We report the facts and operate in areas Israel has classified as safe. We are citizens conveying the suffering and injustices of our people. Our only crime is telling the truth.”
The deliberate and targeted killing of a journalist or civilian is a war crime. The international community must act swiftly to ensure journalists’ safety and hold Israel accountable for the deaths of all journalists killed by the IDF. Without protection, equipment, international presence, communications, or access to food and water, they continue to perform their crucial work of reporting the truth to the world.
Surely, sooner or later, those who have taken the lives of innocents will be judged twice: first by International Law, and even more relentlessly, by History itself.
*List of signatory countries of the letter:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Chile
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- United Kingdom
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sierra Leone
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
