With Israel preventing foreign media access to Gaza and its genocidal war being reported only by local Palestinian journalists — often at the risk of being killed or maimed by invading Israeli military — calls are growing for US President Joe Biden to pressurize Tel Aviv into allowing foreign journalists to the besieged Palestinian enclave.
On Monday, US Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) rallied 64 of his colleagues in the House of Representatives, urging the Biden administration to ensure unrestricted access for US and international journalists in Gaza.
“The restrictions on media reporting have created significant challenges in obtaining accurate, verifiable information from Gaza, leading to increased skepticism about the limited reports that do emerge,” the members wrote in a powerful letter.
The House of Representatives is a powerful legislative body of the United States government that has the authority to oversee the administration.
The call to action comes after over 70 media and civil society organizations signed an open letter in July demanding Israel provide journalists access to Gaza. Israel rejected those requests.
Foreign media is still mainly restricted from the blockaded area, with just a few limited trips permitted by the Israeli military. This essentially shifts the duty of reporting to local journalists, who face great risks in searching for the truth.
The stakes are high. Since Israel began its attack on Gaza, approximately 180 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces and those who continue to operate.
According to the International Federation of Journalists, the fatality rate among media professionals in Gaza surpasses 10%.
Alarmingly, 75 percent of all reporters slain worldwide in 2023 died between October 7 and the end of the year.