[[link removed]]

600+ JOURNALISTS RENEW CALL TO LET FOREIGN PRESS ENTER GAZA AS ISRAEL
BEGINS ‘FULL CONQUEST’  
[[link removed]]


 

Stephen Prager
August 5, 2025
Common Dreams
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ "When governments can unilaterally shut down access to war zones,"
the petitioners warn, "they undermine the very foundation of
democracy: press freedom as a check on power." _

nadolu Agency freelance journalist Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini
continues his work in Gaza to document the humanitarian crisis faced
by displaced Palestinians and their struggle to obtain food in Gaza
Strip on July 25, 2025., Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images

 

As Israel [[link removed]] prepares for a
full occupation of Gaza [[link removed]],
foreign journalists have renewed calls to be allowed into the besieged
strip.

More than 600 journalists and media organizations have signed a
petition [[link removed]] released Monday by Freedom to
Report (FTR) demanding "immediate, unsupervised foreign press access"
to Gaza, which they said is "the worst press blackout in modern
conflict."

"This is not a call to be heard," said the renowned war photographer
André Liohn, FTR's founder. "We demand that independent, professional
journalists be allowed into Gaza. What's happening today is not only a
humanitarian blackout but also an information blackout, and it must
end."

Among the signatories are journalists from several of the world's
largest news organizations, including _CNN_, _ABC, The Guardian,
Channel 4, and Sky News_, with many of these organizations also
signing similar joint statements.

Top names in news media, including _CNN _anchors Anderson Cooper and
Christine Amanpour, _Channel 4 _international editor Lindsey Hilsum,
and _Zeteo _founder Mehdi Hasan have also signed on in support.

Since Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023, its military
has closed off access from outside journalists seeking to
independently observe the conflict.

The few who have been granted access, from outlets like _The__
Associated Press_ or the _BBC_, have been taken on heavily manicured
tours led by the Israeli military without freedom of movement. As _The
Times of Israel _reported:

These visits are typically brief, highly curated, and prohibit any
free interaction with Palestinian civilians—drawing criticism from
press advocates who argue they fall short of true journalistic
independence.

"When governments can unilaterally shut down access to war zones," the
petitioners warn, "they undermine the very foundation of democracy:
press freedom as a check on power."

Reporting on the true horrors on the ground in Gaza has been left
almost totally up to journalists inside the strip, who have been
routinely targeted by the Israeli military.

As of April, at least 232 journalists
[[link removed]]
had been killed in Gaza since the military onslaught began—13 per
month on average. More journalists have died in Gaza than in both
world wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United
States war in Afghanistan combined.

The petition lauds the perseverance of journalists in Gaza, saying
that "despite unimaginable danger, loss, and now starvation, they
continue to document the war with extraordinary courage and
professionalism."

However, "while honoring the extraordinary courage of Palestinian
journalists reporting under siege," the petitioners said,
"international access is critical to provide a full, independent
account of the war, and to support those risking everything to report
from within."

The urgent call comes as Israel begins a new phase of the genocidal
war, which has an official death toll
[[link removed]] of over 60,000
but has likely killed far more
[[link removed]]
people who are unaccounted for.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet confirmed
[[link removed]] to the
press that Israel was moving forward with "the full conquest of the
Gaza Strip," which Palestinian-Canadian neuroscientist Afif Aqrabawi
called "the next phase of extermination."

"What's happening in Gaza today reveals a far broader crisis: the
erosion of press freedom as a pillar of democracy," the petition said.
"The people most directly affected are not only the millions of
civilians in Gaza enduring war beyond public scrutiny, but also global
citizens everywhere whose right to receive free and independent
information is being denied."

In recent weeks, Gaza has become increasingly gripped
[[link removed]] by
mass starvation because of Israel's near-total blockade of
humanitarian aid. More than a thousand of those attempting to obtain
the meager amounts of aid that have been allowed to enter the strip
have been gunned down
[[link removed]] by soldiers
at U.S.-Israeli administered sites.

Israel has attempted to deny these reports, but they have been
confirmed by IDF whistleblowers, who have used the international press
to tell the truth about the atrocities they have witnessed
[[link removed]] and debunk
talking points [[link removed]] the
Israeli military has used to justify its actions.

"As disinformation spreads and propaganda dominates, independent,
on-the-ground reporting becomes more essential than ever," the
petition said. "This is not activism, it is journalism, and it is
urgent."

===

Stephen Prager is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

* Press Freedom; War Crimes; Gaza; Israel Defense Forces;
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]