Major international news agencies, including AFP, AP, Reuters, and the BBC, are urging Israel to permit journalists to enter and exit Gaza. The region is under a strict blockade, leading to severe food shortages. Over 100 aid and human rights organizations have warned of a spreading 'mass starvation.' Media organizations express deep concern for local journalists in Gaza, who are struggling to feed their families. The blockade has left global media reliant on Palestinian journalists for coverage.
Media Giants Urge Israel to Allow Journalists Access to Gaza
Media Giants Urge Israel to Allow Journalists Access to Gaza
Major international news agencies, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and the British public service broadcaster BBC, are urging Israel to allow journalists to enter and exit Gaza.
The region is under a strict blockade by Israel, leading to severe food shortages. Over 100 aid and human rights organizations have warned that 'mass starvation' is spreading.
In a joint press release, the media organizations express their 'desperate concern' for the local journalists they collaborate with in Gaza, who are 'increasingly unable to eat or provide food for their families.'
They further add that 'journalists endure many hardships and difficulties in war zones. We are deeply concerned that starvation is now one of these threats.'
With Gaza cut off from the outside world, many media houses globally rely on photo, video, and text material from Palestinian journalists working for international news agencies like AFP.
'We have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food,' said Omar al-Qattaa, a 35-year-old AFP photographer who was nominated for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize earlier this year.
Since the war began following the attack by the terror-designated Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, journalists have only been able to enter Gaza with the Israeli army and under strict military censorship.
'We know that most journalists inside Gaza are likely operating under Hamas's regime, and until Hamas is destroyed, they will not be able to report freely,' said Israeli government spokesperson David Mercer at a press conference in December.