More than 200 leading international journalists are demanding immediate and unrestricted access for the foreign press to the besieged Gaza Strip.
The petition was launched under the Freedom to Report initiative, which advocates for protecting journalists and upholding press independence globally.
“This is not only about Gaza. It is about defending the universal right to independent, on-the-ground reporting in conflict zones everywhere,” read the statement published on Monday.
“Gaza is the most urgent case, but it is not the only one. It reflects the gravest pattern of silencing journalists and restricting the press. If the democratic world truly intends to push back against this erosion of freedom, it must not turn a blind eye to Gaza,” the petition stated.
Beyond calling for immediate access and protection of media workers, the petition added that if Israeli authorities continue to ignore these demands, journalists would seek to enter Gaza without consent.
They would try to gain access “by any legitimate means, independently, collectively, or in coordination with humanitarian or civil society actors.”
These restrictions deprive the world of an impartial account and obstruct the path to accountability, it stated.
“Unrestricted, independent access for foreign journalists is urgently needed, not only to document the unfolding atrocities but to ensure that the truth of this war is not dictated by those who control the weapons and the narrative.”
Israel killed 219 Palestinian journalists in Gaza in 19 months
The signatories to the petition included journalists from countries across the world, including the US, UK, France, Brazil, Belgium, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Portugal, and Turkey.
The Association of European Journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders also signed the petition.
With Israel continuing to deny international media access, global coverage of the regime's genocidal war has relied almost exclusively on Gaza-based Palestinian journalists.
They have worked for nearly 22 months under extreme conditions, facing a shortage of food, water, electricity, and internet access, and daily risks to their lives.
Since Israel’s latest assault on Gaza began, more than 230 journalists have been killed, making this the deadliest conflict for the press ever recorded.
More journalists killed in Gaza than in both World Wars, other major wars combined: New report
Last month, major international news agencies issued a joint statement calling for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate their local teams, some of whom were struggling to find enough food to survive.
Israel has so far resisted calls from human rights groups and media organizations to allow entry to foreign reporters.
But the pressure has intensified in recent weeks amid growing international concern over what humanitarian experts have described as a “man-made famine” caused by the complete Israeli blockade on aid.
Israeli forces on Monday killed nearly 100 more Palestinians in Gaza, where people are also starving to death. Starvation-related deaths stand at 180, including 93 children, over the past two weeks.
The death toll since the start of Israel’s genocidal war is nearing 61,000, with over 150,000 injured.
Source:Websites
