Over 100 journalists sign letter requesting Egyptian authorities to allow access to Gaza through Rafah crossing
While Palestinian journalists have been killed in record numbers, Israel and Egypt have barred international journalists from accessing Gaza
Over 100 journalists representing a wide range of international media outlets sent a letter to Egyptian authorities on Sunday requesting access to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
“We understand that the situation is fluid regarding the border crossing, but we ask that permission for journalists to cross the Rafah border be at the forefront of the discussion,” the letter says. “No international journalists have been able to access Gaza without an Israeli military escort since the war began in October 2023. We request that permission be granted on an expedited basis while Phase 1 of the ceasefire is still in effect.”
In addition to Drop Site News, signatories include journalists from major U.S. and European outlets. Among them: CNN, NBC News, NPR, CBS News, ABC News, Sky News UK, Reuters, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, France 24, Le Monde, Associated Press, BBC News, El Pais, CBC News, Los Angeles Times, and others.
The letter is addressed to Diaa Rashwan, chairman of Egypt’s State Information Service, and Ayman Walash, Director of the Cairo Press Center for Foreign Correspondents.
Egypt has not allowed journalists to cross Rafah into Gaza since 2013, when Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in Egypt in a military coup, forcing journalists over the years to enter Gaza through Erez, with Israeli permission. Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2013, international journalists have been barred by both Israel and Egypt from entering Gaza to report on the war. At the same time, Palestinian journalists in Gaza have come under an unprecedented assault, with over 200 being killed in Israeli attacks.
In November 2023, 67 journalists signed a similar letter addressed to Egyptian authorities requesting access to Gaza, which went unanswered. The watchdog group Reporters Without Borders issued a statement in December 2023 accusing Egypt of being complicit in the “reporting blockade” on Gaza.
“This buck-passing between Israel and Egypt, in which each blames the other for the denials of access, shows that the two governments have a mutual interest in preventing international media coverage of the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel is primarily responsible for this news blockade, but Egypt has continued to be complicit in recent weeks,” Arnaud Froger, the head of RSF’s investigation desk, said in a statement at the time.
The theory of the free press is not that the truth will be presented completely or perfectly in any one instance, but that the truth will emerge from free discussion
e. e. cummings
You have a typo: you say “Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2013” and it should say 2023