Foreign Press Association says Israel has ‘no security justifications’ to bar journalists from Gaza

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Mohammad Sio

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) - The Foreign Press Association (FPA) said there are no “security justifications” for Israel’s continued ban on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip, after Israel’s top court again postponed ruling on a petition seeking access.

The statement came after Israel’s Supreme Court delayed consideration of the association’s petition demanding that Israel allow foreign reporters to enter Gaza, where about 2.4 million Palestinians are living amid dire humanitarian conditions.

Israel has barred foreign journalists from Gaza since launching its genocidal war on the enclave in October 2023, despite repeated requests by the association to lift the restrictions. The court has repeatedly deferred a decision month to month, most recently earlier this week.

“The Foreign Press Association is deeply disappointed that the Israeli Supreme Court has once again postponed ruling on our petition for free, independent press access to Gaza,” the group said in a statement late Tuesday.

It said it was particularly concerned that the court “appears to have been swayed by the state's classified security arguments, which were presented (by Israel) behind closed doors and without the presence of the FPA's attorneys.”

“This secretive process offers no opportunity for us to rebut these arguments and clears the way for the continued arbitrary and open-ended closure of Gaza to foreign journalists,” the association said.

“As our lawyers made clear before the court, there are no security justifications for Israel’s blanket ban on foreign journalists and the denial of free access to Gaza,” it added, noting that humanitarian workers and other officials are permitted to enter.

“The public's right to know should not be reduced to an afterthought,” it said, urging the court “to reconsider its decision.”

On Jan. 21, an Israeli strike killed three journalists in Gaza, bringing the number of Palestinian journalists killed since the start of the war to 260 since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

Press freedom groups and media organizations say the Israeli ban is aimed at preventing independent on-the-ground coverage of the war and its humanitarian impact.

More than 71,600 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly 171,400 others injured in the Israeli war since October 2023.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, the Israeli attacks continued, leaving at least 492 people dead and 1,350 others injured.