Foreign Press Association petitions Supreme Court seeking immediate access to Gaza amid IDF restriction

IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, December 16, 2023. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, December 16, 2023. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking immediate access to the Gaza Strip for the international media.

The association says multiple requests to the Israeli Government Press Office, the Israeli military and Defense Ministry received “no substantive response.”

In previous wars, Israel has also limited access to Gaza for journalists, but never for so long. Gaza has been completely sealed off since the war’s outbreak.

The only journalists who have been allowed in thus far are the ones being escorted by the IDF.

“Freedom of the press is a basic civil right in a democratic society,” the FPA says in a statement. “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.”

The Foreign Press Association represents 130 media outlets in more than 30 countries, including The Associated Press, that operate in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

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