UK Backs Push for Independent Media Access to Gaza Strip 1

UK has joined 26 other countries in endorsing a joint statement demanding that Israel immediately allow independent international media access to the Gaza Strip.

The appeal, made through the Media Freedom Coalition—an intergovernmental alliance that advocates for journalists’ safety and rights globally—was also backed by France, Germany, Australia, Japan, and other signatories. The statement, released Thursday, represents the first coordinated call by multiple governments urging Israel to lift its media restrictions in Gaza.

It strongly condemned the ongoing attacks on journalists and emphasized the urgent need to protect media workers operating in Gaza. Since the war began nearly two years ago, international journalists have been barred by Israel from independently entering the enclave. While a small number have entered Gaza through tightly controlled visits facilitated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), such access remains limited and lacks editorial independence.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 192 journalists and media workers—most of them Palestinian—have been killed since the conflict began, marking the deadliest period ever recorded for journalists.

Thursday’s joint statement highlights the “unfolding humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and condemns any effort to suppress press freedom or obstruct journalistic access. The signatory nations state they “oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists” and stress that the “deliberate targeting of journalists” is intolerable. They further call for full investigations into such incidents, followed by prosecutions where warranted.

The statement comes amid renewed international outrage following the deaths of four Al Jazeera journalists—Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal—killed earlier this month in a targeted Israeli airstrike near Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. According to Al Jazeera, the journalists were working from a tent positioned at the hospital’s main gate when the strike occurred. Two additional freelance journalists, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khaldi, were also killed in the attack.

The IDF confirmed it had deliberately targeted al-Sharif, claiming he was a leading Hamas operative. However, the CPJ stated that Israel has not produced evidence to support this accusation. Al Jazeera has also publicly denied the Israeli claims.

With independent foreign journalists barred from entering Gaza, local Palestinian reporters have become the primary sources of frontline coverage, sharing real-time updates on social media and working for both domestic and international media outlets. Despite ongoing airstrikes and a humanitarian crisis, these reporters have remained on the ground, risking their lives to document the conflict.

Israel’s High Court of Justice upheld the ban on foreign journalists last year, citing national security concerns. The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents foreign journalists in Israel, has since petitioned the court to lift the entry ban, calling it “unprecedented” and an obstacle to independent reporting.

Conditions for journalists still operating in Gaza have grown increasingly dire. Alongside the threat of airstrikes, they now face the very real danger of starvation. Last month, the BBC and three major international news agencies—Reuters, Associated Press (AP), and Agence France-Presse (AFP)—issued a rare joint statement expressing “desperate concern” for the well-being of journalists in Gaza, many of whom are now unable to feed themselves or their families.

More than 100 aid organisations and human rights groups have echoed similar fears, warning of widespread famine in the territory. While Israel maintains control over the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, its government has accused many NGOs of “serving the propaganda of Hamas.” Nevertheless, Israel’s own government data shows that the amount of food permitted into Gaza between March and July fell significantly short of the minimum required by the World Food Programme (WFP) for basic survival.

Concern is mounting once again as Israel initiates the first phase of a planned ground offensive into Gaza City. The Israeli government recently reaffirmed its objective to capture the entire Gaza Strip after ceasefire negotiations with Hamas collapsed last month.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.

Since then, Gaza’s health ministry reports that at least 62,122 people have been killed. These figures are considered the most reliable available and are cited by the United Nations and other international bodies.