British Jewish journalists call for Israel to allow media access to Gaza
Leading British Jewish journalists have signed a letter calling on Israel to allow foreign media access to the Gaza Strip.
The letter, signed by ITV political editor Robert Peston and The News Agents' hosts Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel among others, also criticised Egypt's restrictions on access through the Rafah crossing.
"We note that local media have done an extraordinary job reporting on events while themselves being displaced, hungry and at constant risk, but they should not carry this burden alone," reads the letter, printed in the trade magazine Press Gazette on Thursday.
"As journalists and editors, who are also Jews, we see Israel’s and Egypt’s refusal to allow such access as unjustified and unjustifiable, and as an unacceptable restriction on our professional responsibility to inform readers, viewers and listeners accurately and impartially."
Since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel has prevented foreign media access to the enclave with the exception of a small number of heavily controlled and curated trips.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
More than 200 journalists have been killed over the course of the war, which the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) says has "killed more journalists over the course of a year than in any other conflict CPJ has documented".
Rights groups and unions such as the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate have accused the Israeli army of pursuing a systematic policy of targeting journalists and their families.
Israel has repeatedly justified the exclusion of journalists from the Gaza Strip on the grounds that it is unsafe, a claim that has been dismissed by media outlets.
"To suggest that the safety of journalists cannot be guaranteed is not a reason to deny access. International journalists are aware of the risks," read the Press Gazette letter.
"These risks are for them to manage as they do all too frequently in conflict zones around the world. That is their job and that is their calling: to report from some of the most troubled places in the hope that humanity will not avert its eyes."
On Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry confirmed that at least 16,503 children had been killed by Israeli attacks since the Israeli war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023.
Among them were 916 infants under the age of one.
In a statement, the ministry said the numbers "do not merely represent innocent lives lost" but reveal a "humanitarian catastrophe" and the "targeting of an entire generation".
It called for global action, asking the international community, human rights groups, and aid agencies to "stop the aggression immediately" and hold Israeli occupation leaders accountable for crimes against civilians.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
