The IPI global network repeats our call on Israel to grant access to Gaza by international reporters. Foreign reporters have been prohibited entry to the Strip for the duration of the conflict, which is unprecedented in modern warfare. Now, two months since the ceasefire took hold, foreign reporters remain blocked from Gaza, unable to cover the aftermath of the conflict.
On December 7, the Israeli Supreme Court granted – for the ninth time – the Israeli government’s request to delay review of a petition to allow international media into Gaza. The new deadline for the government to respond is December 21. In a statement, the Foreign Press Association in Israel, which filed the petition in September 2024, called the situation “beyond absurd.”
Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023, Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza unescorted, despite repeated, direct calls for access. This has placed the burden of coverage of the war on Palestinian journalists, who faced extreme violence and displacement while covering that conflict.
The war has been one of the deadliest on record for journalists. Nearly 250 journalists have been killed over the course of the conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Many of those killed were deliberately targeted by Israel authorities, according to independent investigations, and in some cases, Israel itself.
IPI has joined press freedom groups around the world calling for access by international reporters, who have been demanding the right to enter and report freely from Gaza since October 2023. We continue to reiterate our demand on Israel to drop this ban – which is unprecedented in the history of modern conflict – as such restrictions constitute a serious violation of journalists’ rights to report from conflict and post-conflict zones freely and safely.