Foreign Press Association renews call for Israel to provide journalists with free, independent access to Gaza – JURIST
Following the news of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine that went into effect Friday, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) renewed its call for Israel to provide the international media with free and independent access to the Gaza Strip.
In its statement, the FPA said journalists have unsuccessfully sought access to Gaza to report on the Israel-Hamas War over the last two years. “These demands have been repeatedly ignored, while our Palestinian colleagues have risked their lives to provide tireless and brave reporting from Gaza,” the board of the FPA said in its statement, adding, “The restrictions on press freedom must come to an end.”
After a ceasefire agreement went into effect on Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have begun preparing for the release of the 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza. “This is an emotional moment for the people of Israel and for the troops of the IDF who fought and acted over the past two years with courage, bravery, and dedication,” said IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin in a statement on Friday.
Over the last two years of the war, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted 237 journalists were killed, 162 were injured, and 92 have been imprisoned as of Sunday. The CPJ has been critical of Israel’s crackdown on free expression and the killing of foreign journalists.
In an airstrike conducted by Israel in August, five journalists with Al Jazeera were killed outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. The CPJ denounced the killings and called on the international community to work to protect journalists reporting on the conflict. They issued a similar statement in July over an Israeli airstrike that killed Palestinian journalists.
The CPJ has, along with the Union of Journalists in Israel, voiced upset over Israeli policies issued in June that required international media to obtain prior approval from the military before broadcasting news from combat zones or missile impact areas in Israel. They alleged it was “escalating efforts to suppress press freedom through censorship and intimidation.”
IDF military leaders reached the ceasefire agreement with assistance from the US. Israeli hostages held in Gaza are expected to be released on Monday.
“The military pressure we applied over the past two years, together with the complementary diplomatic measures, constitute a victory over Hamas,” Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir said in a statement Sunday. “We will continue to act in order to shape a security reality that ensures the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians.”
