Israeli foreign press group says safety of Gaza news bureaus ‘now in question’

Israel’s Foreign Press Association issues a statement on the military’s destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza that housed the offices of some international media outlets, which Israel says was used by Hamas military intelligence.

“Knowingly causing the destruction of the offices of some of the world’s largest and most influential news organizations raises deeply worrying questions about Israel’s willingness to interfere with the freedom of the press to operate,” the statement says.

It adds: “The safety of other news bureaus in Gaza is now in question. At a time when Israel’s border crossing with Gaza is closed, those companies with a bureau in Gaza are more important than ever in reporting events to the world.”

The press group says Israel hasn’t provided evidence the building was used by Hamas.

“We call on parties on both sides of the conflict to restate their commitment to ensuring that foreign news bureaus and operations be allowed to go about their work without being targeted, compromised, or endangered,” it says.