Israel top court rejects foreign media appeal for Gaza access | ABS-CBN

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Israel top court rejects foreign media appeal for Gaza access

Israel top court rejects foreign media appeal for Gaza access

Agence France-Presse

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Smoke rises during Israeli military operations in the east of Al Maghazi and Al Bureije refugee camps, southern Gaza Strip on, January 5, 2024. Mohammed Saber, EPA-EFE.
Smoke rises during Israeli military operations in the east of Al Maghazi and Al Bureije refugee camps, southern Gaza Strip on, January 5, 2024. Mohammed Saber, EPA-EFE.

JERUSALEM, Undefined — Israel's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by international media organizations to allow independent access for journalists to the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Israel controls entry to the besieged Palestinian territory and has not allowed journalists to travel there independently since the start of the conflict on October 7.

The court argued the restrictions were justified on security grounds, as independent entry of journalists could "endanger" Israeli soldiers battling Hamas.

In its ruling handed down on Monday, the court said allowing journalists inside Gaza could give away operational details, including troop locations, in a way that could "put them in real danger".

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The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem, which floated the petition as a representative of dozens of international media organizations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, said it was "disappointed" by the ruling.

"Israel's ban on independent foreign press access to Gaza, for 95 days straight, is unprecedented," the FPA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The court said it was seeking to find a balance between the safety of journalists and soldiers with the "freedom of the press".

It stressed that foreign and Israeli journalists are allowed limited access to Gaza under Israeli military escort.

But the FPA said the military escorts have been "limited to select foreign media" and are "highly controlled".

"We believe Israel's concerns about reporting on troop positions do not withstand scrutiny at a time when Palestinian journalists continue to operate in Gaza, and when it is vital for foreign press to access areas of Gaza where troops are not present," the FPA said.

At least 79 journalists and media professionals, the vast majority Palestinian, have been killed since the war began more than three months ago, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

The International Criminal Court said on Tuesday it was investigating potential crimes against journalists since the outbreak of war on October 7.

On Sunday, Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera said an Israeli strike killed two of its Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip.

After the latest deaths, the United Nations rights office said Monday that it was "very concerned" by the high death toll of media workers in the territory.

Meanwhile, US top diplomat Antony Blinken said Tuesday Israel has agreed on a plan for a UN mission to assess the situation in war-torn northern Gaza to enable the safe return of displaced Palestinians.

"As Israel's campaign moves to a lower intensity phase in northern Gaza and as the IDF (Israel army) scales down its forces there, we agreed today on a plan for the UN to carry out an assessment mission," Blinken said during a visit to Israel.

"It will determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return safely to the north."

Since October 7, Israel has carried out with relentless bombardment and a ground invasion of Gaza that have killed at least 23,210 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

© Agence France-Presse

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