600+ Journalists Renew Call to Let Foreign Press Enter Gaza as Israel Begins 'Full Conquest'

As Israel prepares for a full occupation of Gaza, foreign journalists have renewed calls to be allowed into the besieged strip.

More than 600 journalists and media organizations have signed a petition released Monday by Freedom to Report (FTR) demanding "immediate, unsupervised foreign press access" to Gaza, which they said is "the worst press blackout in modern conflict."

"This is not a call to be heard," said the renowned war photographer André Liohn, FTR's founder. "We demand that independent, professional journalists be allowed into Gaza. What's happening today is not only a humanitarian blackout but also an information blackout, and it must end."

Among the signatories are journalists from several of the world's largest news organizations, including CNN, ABC, The Guardian, Channel 4, and Sky News, with many of these organizations also signing similar joint statements.

Top names in news media, including CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Christine Amanpour, Channel 4 international editor Lindsey Hilsum, and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan have also signed on in support.

Since Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023, its military has closed off access from outside journalists seeking to independently observe the conflict.

The few who have been granted access, from outlets like The Associated Press or the BBC, have been taken on heavily manicured tours led by the Israeli military without freedom of movement. As The Times of Israel reported:

These visits are typically brief, highly curated, and prohibit any free interaction with Palestinian civilians—drawing criticism from press advocates who argue they fall short of true journalistic independence.

"When governments can unilaterally shut down access to war zones," the petitioners warn, "they undermine the very foundation of democracy: press freedom as a check on power."

Reporting on the true horrors on the ground in Gaza has been left almost totally up to journalists inside the strip, who have been routinely targeted by the Israeli military.

As of April, at least 232 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the military onslaught began—13 per month on average. More journalists have died in Gaza than in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States war in Afghanistan combined.

The petition lauds the perseverance of journalists in Gaza, saying that "despite unimaginable danger, loss, and now starvation, they continue to document the war with extraordinary courage and professionalism."

However, "while honoring the extraordinary courage of Palestinian journalists reporting under siege," the petitioners said, "international access is critical to provide a full, independent account of the war, and to support those risking everything to report from within."

The urgent call comes as Israel begins a new phase of the genocidal war, which has an official death toll of over 60,000 but has likely killed far more people who are unaccounted for.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet confirmed to the press that Israel was moving forward with "the full conquest of the Gaza Strip," which Palestinian-Canadian neuroscientist Afif Aqrabawi called "the next phase of extermination."

"What's happening in Gaza today reveals a far broader crisis: the erosion of press freedom as a pillar of democracy," the petition said. "The people most directly affected are not only the millions of civilians in Gaza enduring war beyond public scrutiny, but also global citizens everywhere whose right to receive free and independent information is being denied."

In recent weeks, Gaza has become increasingly gripped by mass starvation because of Israel's near-total blockade of humanitarian aid. More than a thousand of those attempting to obtain the meager amounts of aid that have been allowed to enter the strip have been gunned down by soldiers at U.S.-Israeli administered sites.

Israel has attempted to deny these reports, but they have been confirmed by IDF whistleblowers, who have used the international press to tell the truth about the atrocities they have witnessed and debunk talking points the Israeli military has used to justify its actions.

"As disinformation spreads and propaganda dominates, independent, on-the-ground reporting becomes more essential than ever," the petition said. "This is not activism, it is journalism, and it is urgent."