Newsletters
The editorial board of the U.S.-based New York Times (NYT) has sharply criticized Israel’s restrictions on press access in Gaza, calling its media blackout “indefensible” and warning that it undermines democratic standards.
In an editorial titled “Israel’s Media Ban in Gaza Is Indefensible,” the paper accused Israel of systematically silencing journalists through bans, restrictions and deadly attacks since the start of its military campaign in October 2023.
The board noted that among the over 63,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, around 200 were journalists, the vast majority of them reportedly killed by Israeli forces.
“Reporting and war correspondence are always dangerous,” the editorial said. “But in Gaza, journalists face threats unlike those faced anywhere else.”
Citing data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the article highlighted that the past two years have been the deadliest period for media workers since records began in 1992.
“These deaths form yet another layer of the painful human tragedy unfolding in Gaza,” it read.
The NYT editorial stressed that most of the slain reporters were Palestinian, while foreign correspondents have been barred from entering the enclave.
“By refusing access to international journalists, Israel demonstrates that it does not meet the standards expected of democratic nations,” the board wrote.
It argued that Israel is attempting to hide “the full horror of the war” by excluding foreign press, but that social media and the work of Palestinian reporters have nevertheless made mass deaths, hunger and destruction visible to the world.
“Had more American or other foreign journalists been among the dead, Israel likely would have taken greater measures to protect them,” the board added, criticizing what it described as a blatant disregard for journalists’ lives.
The editorial concluded by urging Israel to immediately allow international media access to Gaza, underscoring that press freedom is essential for accountability in war.
1 min read
