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Open letter: Call for media access to Gaza

Nearly a year into the war in Gaza, journalists remain barred from the conflict zone. In an open letter, national German media urge the governments of Israel and Egypt to allow access for independent reporting.

Palestinian territories, Rafah: Smoke rising following an Israeli airstrike
Image: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/dpa/picture-alliance

To the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu,

To the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abd el-Fattah el-Sisi,

Nearly a year of war, and still the governments of Israel and Egypt prevent international reports to travel to the Gaza Strip to report on the war. Nearly a year of war, and still your governments prevent us from seeing the situation in Gaza for ourselves, independently and without an official escort. The nearly absolute exclusion of international media from a crisis with such enormous global implications is unprecedented in recent history.

After nearly a year of war, we call on the Israeli government: grant us access to the Gaza Strip!

After nearly a year of war, we call on the Egyptian government: allow us to travel to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing!

The presence of independent reporters is more important during wars and armed conflicts than it is at any other time. We are not a warring faction. We, the Editors-in-Chief, the Directors General and our organizations; the publishing houses and television stations; have decades of experience in evaluating and analyzing various international crises.

Anyone preventing independent coverage of this war is damaging their own credibility. Anyone forbidding us from working in the Gaza Strip, is establishing the prerequisites for human rights violations.

We are aware of the risks involved. We are prepared to bear responsibility for them.

Allow us to enter the Gaza Strip. Let us work – in everyone’s best interest!

Signed by

DIE ZEIT, ZEIT ONLINE (Giovanni di Lorenzo, Jochen Wegner)
taz, die tageszeitung (Barbara Junge, Ulrike Winkelmann)
Stern (Gregor Peter Schmitz)
DER SPIEGEL (Dirk Kurbjuweit)
dpa (Sven Gösmann)
Reporter Ohne Grenzen (Anja Osterhaus)
Arte (Carolin Ollivier)
Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (Eva Quadbeck, Sven Oliver Clausen)
Deutscher Journalistenverband (Mika Beuster)
Süddeutsche Zeitung (Judith Wittwer, Wolfgang Krach)
BILD (Marion Horn)
DIE WELT (Ulf Poschardt)
ZDF (Bettina Schausten)
Handelsblatt (Sebastian Matthes)
RTL/NTV (Gerhard Kohlenbach)
Deutsche Welle (Peter Limbourg)
ARD (Kai Gniffke)