Gaza Herald- The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Friday called for an immediate end to Israel’s ban on international media access to Gaza, warning that the information blackout is fueling disinformation and undermining trust in eyewitness and humanitarian accounts.
Philippe Lazzarini said that more than 640 days have passed since the ongoing ban on international media from entering Gaza began, criticizing the international silence over the Israeli policy that continues to prevent journalists from accessing the area.
He said, “It has become a pattern to silence voices that speak out against atrocities.”
He has confirmed that the ban on international media must be lifted, stressing that the ongoing Israeli ban on international journalists, lasting for 20 months during the war—is unprecedented in any other modern conflict.
“More than 220 Palestinian journalists have been killed. UN officials & humanitarian workers have been banned from going back to Gaza,” he wrote in a post on X.
“It’s our duty to speak out on the atrocities & any breaches of international humanitarian law,” he said.
Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, leaving nearly 59,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children.
The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the Strip.
