Four of the world’s leading news organisations—Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and the BBC—have issued an unprecedented joint statement raising alarm over the deteriorating conditions for journalists in Gaza, warning that some are now starving. In a rare move for media outlets commenting on a story they are covering, the organisations urged Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian access, including food, into the territory. “Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones,” the statement said. “We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them.”
The statement follows a separate appeal from Al Jazeera earlier this week, after one of its Gaza-based reporters described the unbearable conditions. “I’m drowning in hunger and trembling with exhaustion,” said Anas AlSharif. “Gaza is dying. And we die with it.”
International media have been banned from entering Gaza independently for the past 21 months. In their absence, Palestinian journalists—many of them freelancers—have risked everything to document the humanitarian catastrophe. Now, they are themselves becoming casualties of the crisis.
Jon Williams, Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust, said the crisis represents more than a humanitarian failure. “The courage of Palestinian journalists has ensured the world can see what is being done in our name,” he said. “This is about the pursuit of truth and the public’s right to know. When there is no one left to tell Gaza’s story, impunity will have triumphed.”
While some aid does reach Gaza Israel has banned operations by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, severely limiting delivery capacity. The US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation supplies only a fraction of what is needed. At least 45 people are reported to have died of hunger in the last four days alone. The United Nations blames the deepening crisis on Israel’’s restriction on aid. The Israeli government continues to insist that the scale of the crisis is being exaggerated.
On Friday, the International News Safety Institute (INSI), the media industry’s global safety body, added its voice, urging Israel to allow Palestinian journalists to leave Gaza if they choose, calling such access a “humanitarian obligation.” In a statement signed by member organisations, including the Rory Peck Trust, INSI said the duty to protect journalists in conflict zones is shared by all.
“Journalism’s answer to the military covenant demands that if journalists put their lives on the line, news organisations do all they can to ensure their safety,” said Williams. “The world must act—not just condemn. Anything less would be a betrayal—of Palestinian journalists, and of the truth.”