Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by an attack on Israel by Hamas, Israeli authorities have barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory, according to Al Arabiya.
Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military forces inside the blockaded territory.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories, filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking immediate and unrestricted access for international media to the Gaza Strip.
Since then the court has given several extensions to the Israeli authorities to come up with a plan, but at a hearing last month it set January 4 as a final deadline.
Late on Sunday, the Israeli authorities filed their response with the court.
In the submission, the government said the ban on media access to Gaza should continue, citing security risks in the territory.
“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 Israeli authorities said the ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10, continues to face regular threats.
At least 420 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The Israeli military said three of its soldiers have also been killed during the same period.
Israel killed at least two Palestinians including a girl, and wounded four others including other children, in an air strike on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, officials at the city’s main Nasser Hospital said.
The Israeli military said the strike, carried out in an area controlled by Hamas, had targeted a Hamas fighter who was planning to attack Israeli troops in southern Gaza.
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