Israel Supreme Court Delays Hearing On Media Access To Gaza

Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday postponed the hearing of a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, seeking independent access for journalists to Gaza. According to AFP, no new date has been set for the hearing after the State Attorney requested 30 additional days to review the circumstances, citing “the situation has changed.”

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have largely barred foreign journalists from entering the territory, allowing only a limited number on highly controlled trips alongside Israeli troops. AFP reported that the FPA began petitioning for independent access soon after the conflict started following Hamas’s attack on Israel.

What did the FPA chairperson say?

Ahead of the hearing, FPA chairperson Tania Kraemer said, “We've been waiting really long for this day. We are saying that we hope to get into Gaza, that they open Gaza after this long blockade, and we are hoping to get in there to work alongside our Palestinian colleagues.”

AFP reported that Nicolas Rouget, an FPA board member, stressed the association’s mission outside the courtroom, “We have a right to inform the public, the people of the world, the Israeli public, the Palestinian population. We feel we must stand by them, by our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, who have been the only ones able to inform the public about this conflict over the last two years.”

The petition has also been supported by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Antoine Bernard, RSF’s director for advocacy and assistance, told AFP on Tuesday that Israel’s forces have killed more than 210 Palestinian journalists in Gaza. He said, “The result is an unprecedented violation of press freedom and the public's right to reliable, independent, and pluralistic media reporting. The Supreme Court has the opportunity to finally uphold basic democratic principles in the face of widespread propaganda, disinformation, and censorship, and to end two years of meticulous and unrestrained destruction of journalism in and about Gaza. No excuse, no restriction can justify not opening Gaza to international, Israeli and Palestinian media.”

AFP reported that the FPA represents hundreds of foreign journalists who have repeatedly had their requests for access to Gaza ignored by Israeli authorities. The issue has gained renewed attention following Israel’s partial withdrawal of troops from some areas of Gaza and a ceasefire declared on October 10, part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war.

(With inputs from AFP)