The Foreign Press Association is alarmed that six months into the Israel-Hamas war, Israel continues to bar international reporters from entering any part of the Gaza Strip independently.

The barring of independent press access to a war zone for this long is unprecedented for Israel. It raises questions about what Israel does not want international journalists to see.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly rejected our appeals for access – in private meetings and in a Supreme Court ruling – citing a variety of security-related and logistical arguments.

The military has granted a small number of opportunities for an even smaller number of media outlets to enter Gaza under military escort.

At the same time, Palestinian journalists inside Gaza have faced unprecedented threats and harm while courageously covering the story.

The decision whether to be on the ground in Gaza should be up to each individual international media outlet. The blanket ban has limited the world’s ability to witness the true cost of the war to all sides.

We call on authorities to grant the international media expanded and unfettered access to Gaza. Six months is far too long.

The Board of the Foreign Press Association