More than 140 global leaders of news and press freedom organisations called on world leaders, governments, and international institutions on Thursday to act immediately to ensure journalists from outside Gaza are given immediate, independent access to the territory, in a letter coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters without Borders (RSF).
After 20 months of almost complete exclusion of international media from Gaza, the letter demands the protection of Palestinian journalists currently reporting under siege in the territory.
Israeli authorities have prevented international journalists from entering Gaza since the start of the war, except for brief excursions, tightly controlled by the military. Meanwhile, local Palestinian journalists have risked their lives to report under extreme conditions of violence, displacement, and hunger. At least 181 journalists and media workers have been killed – 179 of them by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon since the war started, making it the deadliest conflict for the press since CPJ started recording data in 1992.
“When journalists are killed in such unprecedented numbers and independent international media is barred from entering, the world loses its ability to see clearly, to understand fully, and to respond effectively to what is happening. Access must be restored, and the rights of journalists must be respected,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Journalists must be allowed to report without fear for their lives.”
The letter notes that, at a critical time of renewed military operations and humanitarian efforts in Gaza, ensuring the presence of independent journalists is essential for transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to know.
In addition, the signatories called on Israel to meet its international obligations to protect journalists and immediately allow unrestricted access to Gaza for international media. The letter also appealed to world leaders and international institutions to demand protections for all journalists working in Gaza.
The full letter and list of signatories are available in Arabic, Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Read the full letter below
Open letter from media and press freedom organisations on Gaza access
We, the undersigned, call for immediate, independent, and unrestricted international media access to Gaza and for full protection of journalists who continue to report under siege.
For 20 months, the Israeli authorities have refused to grant journalists outside of Gaza independent access to the Palestinian territory – a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare. Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation. To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness. This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information.
We understand the inherent risks in reporting from war zones. These are risks that many of our organisations have taken over decades in order to investigate, document developments as they occur, and understand the impacts of war.
At this pivotal moment, with renewed military action and efforts to resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, it is vital that Israel open Gaza’s borders for international journalists to be able to report freely and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.
We call on world leaders, governments, and international institutions to act immediately to ensure this.
