Can foreign media independently cover the war in Gaza?

Asked about RMC, Hen Feder, the spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in France, assures that foreign journalists enter Gaza well, with the Israeli army. Can they work there independently? Franceinfo takes stock.

Since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023, some journalists have been able to go to the Gaza Strip. But their access remains very limited, they are handpicked and closely supervised by the Israeli army. This is not free access.

Reporters authorized to penetrate Gaza did it as part of press visits, aboard military vehicles. These visits allow the army to show specific areas, such as Hamas tunnels. The soldiers authorized to respond to journalists are previously selected. The shot images can be subjected to censorship. The Radio France correspondent in Jerusalem, Thibault Lefèvre, has been able to participate in two of these incursions since October 2023. He reports that it is impossible to exchange with Gazaouis residents in this context. A single Western journalist, Clarissa Ward (CNN), managed to briefly enter Gaza outside these military convoys, infiltrating an Emirati medical team.

This “embedding” device is not new. It had already been used, for example, by the American army during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Several hundred journalists had then been embarked, their trips and their reports being also checked.

But the current situation differs on a crucial point: during previous conflicts, journalists could also enter the war areas. The editors did not hesitate, by sending, despite the risks but in the name of the freedom to inform, experienced journalists. It is not possible in Gaza.

Since October 7, 2023, no foreign journalist has been able to freely access the Gaza Strip. The enclave is completely completed. A collective of 130 media and Press Freedom Defense Organizations denounced a situation last June “Unprecedented in the contemporary history of armed conflicts”. Several appeals have also been filed before the Israeli Supreme Court, without success to date.

Most of the images, stories and testimonies that reach Gaza today come from Palestinian journalists on the spot, rigorously selected by international newsrooms. This information is crossed with testimonies collected by NGOs present in Gaza and content (photos, videos) published on social networks, authenticated by media verification cells.