The IPI global network has criticised the Israeli government for maintaining its ban on unrestricted media access to Gaza, saying it was disappointed.
“IPI is deeply disappointed in the Israeli government’s decision to extend and expand a temporary order giving authorities unilateral power to close foreign media outlets deemed to be threats to national security,” it said in a statement.
The government had told the Supreme Court in a submission late Sunday that the ban should remain in place, citing security risks in the Gaza Strip.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the government has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.
Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military inside the blockaded Palestinian territory.
Last month, the court set January 4 as a final deadline for the government to present a plan for allowing media access to Gaza.
In its submission, the government maintained that the ban should remain in place.
“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defence establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists,” the government submission said.
The government also said that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza was ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists in at this stage could hinder the operation.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) also condemned the decision.
“The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government´s latest response to our appeal for full and free access to the Gaza Strip,” the association said on Tuesday.
“Instead of presenting a plan for allowing journalists into Gaza independently and letting us work alongside our brave Palestinian colleagues, the government has decided once again to lock us out” despite the ceasefire in the territory, it added.
