ITV News joins other UK broadcasters calling for access to Gaza for journalists
ITV News has joined a group of UK broadcasters calling for “free and unfettered access” to Gaza for foreign media to report on the war.
A group of 55 journalists have sent an open letter to the embassies of Israel and Egypt in which they also appeal for better protection for reporters already in the territory.
Entry into the enclave has to date been monitored and supervised by the Israeli military.
ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine was able to report from Gaza in November, taken by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) into the heart of Gaza city to look inside the Al-Shifa hospital and to the northernmost town of Beit Hanoun.
In the letter, journalists wrote: “Almost five months into the war in Gaza, foreign reporters are still being denied access to the territory, outside of the rare and escorted trips with the Israeli military.
“We urge the governments of Israel and Egypt to allow free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media.
“We call on the government of Israel to openly state its permission for international journalists to operate in Gaza and for the Egyptian authorities to allow international journalists access to the Rafah Crossing.”
The letter continued: “There is intense global interest in the events in Gaza and for now the only reporting has come from journalists who were already based there.
“It’s vital that local journalists’ safety is respected and that their efforts are bolstered by the journalism of members of the international media. The need for comprehensive on the ground reporting of the conflict is imperative.
“The risks of conflict reporting are well understood by our organisations who have decades of experience of reporting in warzones around the world and in previous wars in Gaza.”
The broadcasters represented are ITV, Sky News, BBC, Channel 4, CNN, ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Senior International Correspondent John Irvine was given access into Gaza city in November, guided by the Israeli military
Letter signatories
Alex Crawford, Sky News; Alex Rossi, Sky News; Alex Thomson, Channel 4; Alistair Bunkall, Sky News; Anna Botting, Sky News; Charlie D'Agata, CBS; Chris Livesay, CBS; Christiane Amanpour, CNN; Clarissa Ward, CNN; Clive Myrie, BBC; Cordelia Lynch, Sky News; Debora Patta, CBS; Deborah Haynes, Sky News; Diana Magnay, Sky News; Dominic Waghorn, Sky News; Emma Murphy, ITN; Fergal Keane, BBC; Fiona Bruce, BBC; Hala Gorani, NBC; Holly Williams, CBS; Ian Lee, CBS; Ian Pannell, ABC; Imtiaz Tyab, CBS; James Longman, ABC; Jeremy Bowen, BBC; John Irvine, ITN; John Ray, ITN; John Sparks, Sky News; Julie Etchingham, ITN; Katya Adler, BBC; Kirsty Wark, BBC; Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4; Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4; Lyse Doucet, BBC; Mark Austin, Sky News; Mark Stone, Sky News; Martha Kearney, BBC; Matt Frei, Channel 4; Mishal Husain, BBC; Molly Hunter, NBC; Nawal al-Maghafi, BBC; Nick Robinson, BBC; Orla Guerin, BBC; Paraic O'Brien, Channel 4; Quentin Sommerville, BBC; Ramy Inocencio, CBS; Reeta Chakrabarti, BBC; Richard Engel, NBC; Rohit Kachroo, ITN; Sarah Montague, BBC; Secunder Kermani, Channel 4; Stuart Ramsay, Sky News; Tom Bateman, BBC; Tom Bradby, ITN; Yalda Hakim, Sky News; Yousra Elbagir, Sky News
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