News organisations urge Israel to permit access into Gaza

International news organisations Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and the BBC on July 24th urged Israel to permit journalists to enter and exit Gaza, which remains under a strict blockade, according to The New Arab plus agencies. 

“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” the media organisations said.

They continued, stating that “journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them.”

“We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there,” they added.

With Gaza closed off, numerous media organisations globally rely on Palestinian journalists working for international outlets like AFP to provide photo, video, and written reports on the conflict.

International condemnation is mounting regarding the situation facing over two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where over 100 humanitarian and rights organisations have said that “mass starvation” is spreading around.

In early July, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that over 200 journalists had lost their lives in Gaza since the conflict started.

AFP news agency stated this week that it was alarmed by “the appalling situation” its personnel are facing in the Gaza Strip, cautioning that their lives are at serious risk.

“We have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food,” said Omar al-Qattaa, a 35-year-old AFP photographer who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist earlier this year.

Israel maintains that humanitarian assistance is being permitted and claims that Hamas is taking advantage of civilian hardship, including by seizing food aid to sell at high prices or attacking those queuing for supplies.

However, witnesses and Gaza’s civil defence agency have consistently accused Israeli troops of opening fire on people seeking aid, while the UN has reported that the military has killed over 1,000 Palestinians attempting to access food since late May.

Between January and April 2024, AFP managed to evacuate eight of its employees and their families from Gaza following prolonged efforts.

Recently, the agency, along with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, called on Israel to allow AFP’s freelance workers and their relatives to exit the coastal enclave.

On July 23rd, the head of the World Health Organisation warned of severe hunger across Gaza, noting that food shipments entering the area remain “far below what is needed for the survival of the population”.

With international journalists barred from entering Gaza and local reporters being killed in large numbers, Reporters Without Borders stated in its 2024 annual report that Gaza had become “a place where journalism itself is threatened with extinction“.

In certain instances, Israel has accused journalists of being “terror operatives”, such as in the case of a Gaza-based Al Jazeera staff member and freelancer who was killed last year – claims that were denounced by the Qatari news network.

Al Jazeera, which has been prohibited from operating in Israel, alleges that the Israeli military has been deliberately targeting its personnel since the conflict began due to the network’s reporting.

“We know that probably most journalists inside Gaza are operating under the auspices of Hamas, and until Hamas is destroyed, they will not be allowed to report freely,” Israeli government spokesman David Mercer said during a December press conference.

The New Arab plus agencies, AFP, Maghrebi.org