The Foreign Press Association strongly urges the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions preventing foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

For the past 15 months, these unprecedented restrictions have severely hindered independent reporting, robbing the world of a full picture of the situation in Gaza and placing an undue and dangerous burden on our Palestinian colleagues in the territory. These journalists have risked their lives to keep the world informed of this crucial story.

With a ceasefire now in place and military activity scaled back, there is no justification for any further delay in granting access.

We call on Israel to uphold the fundamental principles of press freedom and allow unrestricted entry for journalists to Gaza.

Statement attributed to the Board of the Foreign Press Association