The Rory Peck Trust, along with over 100 news organisations and media freedom NGOs, is calling for “immediate, independent, and unrestricted” access for international media to Gaza. The coalition includes the BBC, ITN—the producer of ITV News, Channel 4 News and 5 News—and the Financial Times, as well as the Israeli publisher, Haaretz. The group is also demanding full protection for Palestinian journalists, reporting under siege.
An open letter, coordinated by Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, urges governments and international organisations like the United Nations to “act immediately,” accusing those responsible for the blockade of Gaza of a “direct attack on press freedom and the right to information.” The letter says:
“We understand the inherent risks in reporting from war zones. At this pivotal moment, with renewed military action and efforts to resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, it is vital that Israel open Gaza’s borders for international journalists and protect journalists as civilians.”
The Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust, Jon Williams, who signed the letter, says the blockade on Gaza is unprecedented in modern warfare: “For 20 months, the Israeli and Egyptian authorities have refused to grant independent access to journalists from outside of Gaza. Local journalists face displacement, exhaustion, and starvation. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness to history. It has to stop. And stop now.”
You can read the full letter, and the list of signatories by clicking on the image above