Media executives, including The Associated Press, called on Israel to lift restrictions that bar foreign journalists from independently entering and reporting from Gaza, saying that without independent access, the public cannot get an accurate view of events on the ground.
In a statement released Thursday, the executives said “being on the ground is essential,” because it lets journalists question official accounts on all sides, speak directly with civilians and report what they witness firsthand. “That is why news organizations send their reporters into the field, often at great personal risk,” they said in the message, which was made public by a local foreign press association at 5 a.m. ET.
The group said it had urged Israel repeatedly but that the government had not responded to efforts by editors at more than two dozen media organizations to discuss the situation. Those organizations include the AP, the BBC and Sky News, as well as CNN, MS NOW, Reuters, German news agency dpa, The New York Times and The Washington Post, the statement said.
Editors argued that the need for independent reporting remains even after a ceasefire that has lasted more than six months. “The hostages have come home. Journalists do not pose a threat to Israeli troops,” the editors said. They also pointed to an existing process they described as allowing aid workers to enter and exit the territory, asking why that mechanism—however restrictive—could not be extended to journalists.
Israel has defended the ban since it began at the war’s start in 2023. The government initially said the restriction was necessary because foreign journalists could reveal the positions of Israeli soldiers and endanger them, and other justifications have included the risk posed by what Israel described as an active battle zone. The Israeli military has occasionally brought foreign reporters in on tightly controlled trips, but the media organizations pushing for access say those arrangements still fall short of independent reporting.
The request has also faced delays in the courts. The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, said it has been waiting on a decision from the Israeli Supreme Court on a petition filed in 2024 seeking independent access. The association said the ruling has been repeatedly postponed, most recently in January.
With foreign journalists kept out, the statement said coverage of Gaza has largely depended on local Palestinian journalists. Editors said those reporters are not only operating in a deadly war environment but have also experienced it personally, with their homes destroyed and loved ones killed. They said that when food became severely restricted last year, local journalists faced hunger as well—an alarm that international outlets including Agence France-Presse raised in July, warning about their colleagues’ continued survival.
The executives also argued that the burden of reporting is falling disproportionately on Palestinian journalists. “This has pushed the responsibility for covering this devastating war and its aftermath almost entirely on our Palestinian colleagues … They should not have to shoulder this burden alone, and they should be protected,” the statement said.
Editors pointed to the risks faced by journalists in Gaza, saying that well over 200 journalists and media workers have been killed, citing a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists that they said goes beyond deaths recorded in some other conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war. The statement cited the killing of Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old visual journalist who worked for AP and other news organizations, and also referenced deaths of Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha. It also said the AP’s reporting on an Israeli strike last August on a medical facility that was known as a place where journalists gathered raised questions about the Israeli government’s rationale, and it added that the Israeli military said it was still investigating.
The statement said it was released during Press Freedom Week and framed the access request as overdue. “Freedom of the press is a basic value in any open society. It is time for the delays to end. Let us into Gaza,” the editors wrote.