50+ UK journalists demand access to Gaza
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The journalists have stressed that they are only allowed to do their jobs in Gaza if they are supervised by IOF troops.
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A demonstrator wearing press equipment holds a teddy bear aloft during a commemoration of journalists murdered in Gaza by the IOF, outside of the White House ahead of the March on Washington for Gaza on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 (AP)
More than 50 UK-based broadcast journalists have sent an open letter to the Israeli and Egyptian embassies demanding "free and unfettered access" to Gaza for foreign media, British media revealed.
55 correspondents and presenters from the major broadcasting outlets based in the UK participated in the letter urging for better protection for journalists already reporting in the territory.
Alex Crawford from Sky News, Jeremy Bowen from the BBC, and Christiane Amanpour from CNN are some of the journalists who signed the letter.
Several media outlets quoted the letter which stated "Almost five months into the war in Gaza, foreign reporters are still being denied access to the territory, outside of the rare and escorted trips with the Israeli military."
"We urge the Governments of Israel and Egypt to allow free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media," it added.
The letter further demanded that "Israel" openly allow international journalists to do their jobs in Gaza and for the Egyptian authorities to give international journalists access to the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Even though some journalists have been asked to briefly embed with the Israeli occupation forces for supervised tours inside Gaza, they have been banned from interviewing any of the Palestinians there.
The letter also stated "There is intense global interest in the events in Gaza and for now the only reporting has come from journalists who were already based there," further urging that "It's vital that local journalists' safety is respected and that their efforts are bolstered by the journalism of members of the international media."
"The need for comprehensive on-the-ground reporting of the conflict is imperative," it stressed.
On January 9, the Israeli occupation supreme court rejected a request submitted by international media asking for free access to Gaza.
132 journalists in Gaza have been murdered by the IOF
The Government Media Office in Gaza announced on February 23 that 132 journalists have been targeted and killed by "Israel" since October 7.
Most recently, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that photojournalist Mohammad Yaghi "Aba Teshreen" was martyred on Friday, alongside his wife and daughter, in a massacre carried out by Israeli occupation forces near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza.
Despite constant warnings by Palestinian and international media against the Israeli targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip and calls for their protection, the occupation neglected all calls and continued deliberately targeting and killing them in an attempt to conceal its genocidal crimes against the people of Palestine.
Journalists in Gaza are facing terrible dangers, brought forth by "Israel's" mass indiscriminate bombing of the strip, communication and electricity outages, and supply shortages.
In late November, an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon led to the martyrdom of Al Mayadeen's reporter Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Me'mari, along with Hussein Akil.
