Ban on media access to Gaza should stay in place, Israel said to tell High Court

Israeli authorities have told the High Court of Justice that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor.

“Even at this time, entry of journalists into the Gaza Strip without escort, as requested in the petition, should not be permitted,” says the government submission, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists,” the submission says.

The document was filed after the High Court of Justice last month gave the state a final extension to respond to a petition by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) demanding unfettered media access to Gaza and scolded the government for its repeated delays despite a long series of extensions granted by the court.

The FPA filed its petition in 2024, and the state has since been repeatedly granted delays on requests to update its position that it cannot grant press access to Gaza on security grounds.

Israel’s policy, determined by the defense minister and the IDF, has been to deny independent access to all journalists to Gaza since the beginning of the war.

It has, however, allowed Israeli journalists, and to a lesser extent foreign journalists, to enter Gaza as embedded reporters with IDF forces.