Experienced war reporters are being stopped by a lack of food from providing independent coverage of the Gaza conflict, news organisations warn.
The BBC, AFP, Associated Press, and Reuters have issued an urgent appeal drawing attention to the deteriorating humanitarian conditions faced by journalists reporting from Gaza. In a rare joint statement, the four organisations warned that their local reporting teams are now struggling to feed themselves and their families, facing the same dire conditions as the civilians they report on.
“For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza,” the statement reads. “They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.”
International media rely heavily on local freelance journalists in Gaza, as Israeli restrictions prevent foreign correspondents from entering the territory. This local reporting has been essential in documenting the conflict’s toll, but growing food shortages and unsafe conditions are now threatening the very survival of those working to deliver the news.
The warning from the BBC and agencies follows broader alerts from humanitarian groups about mass starvation in Gaza. The World Health Organization estimates that a quarter of the population is facing famine-like conditions, with dozens of deaths from malnutrition already reported by local health authorities.
The BBC and its agency partners have once again called on the Israeli authorities to allow journalists to enter and leave Gaza and ensure that adequate supplies of food and medicine reach all civilians—journalists among them.
The News Media Coalition joins others in underlining the urgent need to protect journalists and ensure humanitarian access. Starvation and insecurity for journalists are not only a human tragedy, but a threat to media freedom, transparency, and global accountability.
