Media organisations urge Israel to allow access into Gaza
More than 60 media and civil society organisations have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to the besieged coastal enclave.
The organisations, which include The Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post – reiterated that no independent media access to Gaza has been permitted since October 7.
“More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming harder and harder to obtain and that the reporting which does get through is subject to repeated questions over its veracity,” the organisations said in the letter, which was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a media watchdog.
“Netanyahu describes Israel as a democracy. His actions with regard to the media tell a different story. International, Israeli, and Palestinian journalists from outside Gaza should be given independent access to Gaza so they can judge for themselves what is happening in this war – rather than being spoon-fed with a handful of organised tours by the Israeli military,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
In addition to news outlets, the signatories – who span more than 26 countries – include professional groups and organisations dedicated to defending press freedom.
‘Palestinian NGOs are the frontline protection responders’
The UN Human Rights Office says it’s supporting and engaging nongovernmental organisation partners in Gaza. “Palestinian NGOs are the frontline protection responders in the current crisis. The international community must support them,” it said in a post on X.
These organisations “have shared concerns about grave human rights and humanitarian law violations by Israel due to the ongoing escalations in Gaza. They also shared their deep disappointment with the international community for failing to end the war and protect civilians.”
US military to wind down Gaza pier operations
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the US expects to wind down its operations of a pier designed to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as it faces technical issues.
Sullivan said the pier made a difference in helping bring in urgently needed food and other aid to Gaza, but there are now additional supplies coming into the Palestinian enclave via land routes. “The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It’s about getting aid around Gaza effectively,” he told reporters.
Pentagon Press Secretary Major-General Pat Ryder said in a statement that the pier had “always been intended as a temporary solution” and “will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming days”.
Military personnel attempted to re-anchor the temporary Gaza pier to the beach on Wednesday after technical and weather-related issues but were unable to do so.
What a huge waste of tax payer money. The reason you can't distribute it from the pier anymore is because it was used in the rescue massacre and now aid organizations find it to dangerous to go there. Anyway it was never going to be more than a drop in the bucket of need.
‘Huge needs’ of Gaza Palestinians are ‘beyond our capacity to respond’: ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and the Occupied Territories has said that its hotline received hundreds of calls in recent days from people desperate for help.
“Entire families are trapped and desperately seek security. The huge needs are beyond our capacity to respond,” the organisation said in a statement on X. The ICRC said that communities are exhausted, having endured fighting and displacement, while also receiving unclear evacuation orders from the Israeli military.
It said that the struggle to survive is robbing people of their dignity, which is why international humanitarian law must be respected.
