Jerusalem-based foreign press group calls for ‘unrestricted’ access to Gaza for reporters

The Foreign Press Association calls on Israel to allow news media “unrestricted” access to Gaza, off-limits to outside journalists operating independently since the war there began in October 2023.

“We call on Israel to stop the never-ending delays, uphold the fundamental principles of press freedom and allow unrestricted entry for journalists to Gaza,” the Jerusalem-based association writes in a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day.

The FPA has more than 350 members working for foreign media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

An AFP journalist sits on its board of directors.

The association criticizes Israel for an “unprecedented ban preventing foreign journalists from entering Gaza,” calling the decision a “mark of shame for a country that claims to be a beacon of democracy.”

The FPA, which has filed an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court challenging the ban, said its members “salute our Palestinian colleagues who continue to report the story at great personal risk.”

“Nonetheless, the Israeli restrictions have severely hindered independent reporting and robbed the world of a full picture of the situation in Gaza,” the association adds.