The Israeli military has allowed some reporters to embed with troops in Gaza, but this does not allow access to areas where soldiers are not present.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem has filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court seeking immediate access to the Gaza Strip for the international media, saying “freedom of the press is a basic civil right in a democratic society.”
This step on Monday comes after multiple official requests to the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), the Israeli military and Defense Ministry received no substantive response.
Wael al-Dahdouh and cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa were injured while covering an Israeli bombing that targeted a school in Khan Yunis.https://t.co/e2RIsnYZIX pic.twitter.com/BWv9VBcllZ
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2023
The FPA said in a statement that “we also believe it is in the public interest to get a fuller picture of conditions inside Gaza after 10 weeks of extremely limited and highly controlled access.”
It said the Israeli military has allowed some reporters to embed with troops in Gaza, but this does not allow access to areas where soldiers are not present.
Palestinian journalist and Al-Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa just pronounced dead after he was left bleeding for hours in the Farhana School in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/ClQED6Book
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2023
Israel as well as its Egyptian counterparts have restricted journalists from entering since the beginning of the assault of Gaza, leaving local Palestinians or, according to the Middle-East Monitor, previously embedded journalists as the only media to report first-hand from there.
“We are aware of the unique security challenges posed by the current war, and any members entering Gaza would have to take these risks into account,” the statement added.
“But the Israeli government’s recent agreement to allow aid to enter Gaza directly from Israel shows that such obstacles can be overcome.”
Close to 100 Journalists Killed
Israel has blocked foreign press access to Gaza during some previous wars, but never before so long, the FPA said.
“We hope this petition will encourage the government to grant access,” it stressed.
The Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian territories represents about 370 journalists from 130 media outlets in more than 30 countries denoting at least ten languages.
Starting today, the Palestine Chronicle will no longer share names or locations of its contributors in Gaza to ensure their safety.
Many #Gaza-based journalists were killed or wounded in recent days as a result of the Israeli bombardments.
Thank you for your understanding! pic.twitter.com/Pinq9Tjtpy
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 18, 2023
The latest figures announced on December 20, by Gaza’s Government Media Office, indicate that 97 journalists have been killed in Israel’s ongoing onslaught on the Gaza Strip. Several have been injured.
In total, Gaza’s Ministry of Health says that 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 8,000 children and 6,200 women, and 52,600 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7. Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
