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More than 60 media, journalists and civil society organizations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ),  have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to Gaza.

The organizations – which include the EFJ, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post – point out that no independent media access to Gaza has been permitted since the start of the war, increasing the pressure on domestic journalists, and creating a space for mis- and disinformation to flourish.

“More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming harder and harder to obtain and that the reporting which does get through is subject to repeated questions over its veracity,” the organizations say in the letter, which was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The letter comes ahead of a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States, where he is set to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and address the U.S. Congress on July 24.

CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg noted: “President Netanyahu describes Israel as a democracy. His actions with regard to the media tell a different story. International, Israeli, and Palestinian journalists from outside Gaza should be given independent access to Gaza so they can judge for themselves what is happening in this war—rather than being spoon-fed with a handful of organized tours by the Israeli military.”

In addition to news outlets, the signatories – who span more than 26 countries -include professional groups and organizations dedicated to defending press freedom.

Read the full letter below

We, the undersigned, request that Israeli authorities end immediately the restrictions on foreign media entering Gaza and grant independent access to international news organizations seeking to access the territory.

Nine months into the war, international reporters are still being denied access to Gaza except for rare and escorted trips arranged by the Israeli military. This effective ban on foreign reporting has placed an impossible and unreasonable burden on local reporters to document a war through which they are living. More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming harder and harder to obtain and that the reporting which does get through is subject to repeated questions over its veracity.

We fully understand the inherent risks in reporting from war zones. These are risks that many of our organizations have taken over decades in order to investigate, document developments as they occur, and understand the impacts of wars the world over.

A free and independent press is the cornerstone of democracy. We ask that Israel uphold its commitments to press freedom by providing foreign media with immediate, independent access to Gaza, and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.

Signatories

1. ABC News, United States
2. Agence France-Presse, France
3. Alternative Press Syndicate, Lebanon
4. Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
5. Asian American Journalists Association, United States
6. Associated Press, United States
7. Association for International Broadcasting, United Kingdom
8. Association of Foreign Press Correspondents, United States
9. Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, Bangladesh
10. BBC News, United Kingdom
11. Bianet, Turkey
12. Bloomberg News, United States
13. CBS News, United States
14. CNN Worldwide, United States
15. Community Media Forum Europe, Belgium
16. CTV News, Canada
17. Daily Maverick, South Africa
18. Daraj, Lebanon
19. Denik Referendum, Czech Republic
20. European Broadcasting Union, Switzerland
21. European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
22. Financial Times, United Kingdom
23. Forbidden Stories, France
24. fotosintesi.info, Italy
25. Free Press Unlimited, The Netherlands
26. Global Investigative Journalism Network
27. Global Reporting Centre, Canada
28. International Association of Women in Radio and Television
29. International Center for Journalists, United States
30. International Fund for Public Interest Media
31. International News Safety Institute, United Kingdom
32. ITN, United Kingdom
33. Le Mauricien, Mauritius
34. McLatchy, United States
35. Media Development Center, Tunisia
36. Media Diversity Institute, United Kingdom
37. National Association of Hispanic Journalists, United States
38. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, The Philippines
39. NBC News, United States
40. Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University, United States
41. NPR, United States
42. Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
43. Premium Times, Nigeria
44. Prospect Magazine, United Kingdom
45. Public Media Alliance
46. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, United States
47. Rory Peck Trust, United Kingdom
48. RTÉ News & Current Affairs, Ireland
49. Rural Media Network, Pakistan
50. Sky News, United Kingdom
51. SMN24Media, Sri Lanka
52. Somali Media Women Association, Somalia
53. Sveriges Radio, Sweden
54. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, United Kingdom
55. The Guardian, United Kingdom
56. The Irish Times, Ireland
57. The New York Times, United States
58. The Washington Post, United States
59. Twala, Algeria
60. Vocento, Spain
61. VRT News, Belgium
62. Wattan Media Network, Palestine
63. World Association for Christian Communication
64. World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), Germany
65. Yle News and Current Affairs, Finland