Demands for journalists to be allowed into Gaza 

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has demanded Egypt and Israel open the Rafah border crossing, the only outlet connecting the besieged Gaza Strip with the outside world, so that journalists can enter the besieged and cover Israel’s genocidal bombing campaign.

Journalists in the Strip should also be allowed to leave, should they wish to, RSF added.

“The Rafah crossing into Egypt is currently the Gaza Strip’s only connection to the outside world. However, Israel is monitoring all activity at the southern border and bombed the crossing four times early in the war,” RSF said in a statement yesterday.

“‘Open the gates!’ This is the call that RSF is issuing to the Israeli, as well as Egyptian authorities so that journalists can finally come and go across the border between Gaza and Egypt,” the statement said, explaining that with few exceptions, no journalists have been allowed to leave Gaza since 7 October, and the few who have been able to leave have not been allowed back.

Journalists who have been able to enter the Gaza Strip have been embedded with the Israeli army, and submitted to strict restrictions.

“Palestinian journalists are literally imprisoned in the Gaza Strip, from which they cannot escape to safety. This violates UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which requires member states to protect journalists like other civilians.”

At least 75 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed as a result of Israel’s bombing of Gaza over the past two months, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate revealed this week.

UK journalist Piers Morgan also shed light on Palestinians killed covering Israel’s attack on Gaza, saying November was the deadliest month for journalists in history. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP), 68 media workers were killed worldwide in all of 2022.

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