STATEMENT

PMA joins call for urgent & unrestricted media access to Gaza

6 June 2025

PMA’s CEO has joined more than 140 other media and press freedom leaders in signing an open letter, coordinated by CPJ and RSF, calling for immediate, independent and unrestricted access into Gaza.

The CEO of the Public Media Alliance, Kristian Porter, has joined more than 140 leaders of media and press freedom organisations from across the globe in calling for “immediate, independent and unrestricted international media access to Gaza”.

In the open letter, coordinated by RSF and CPJ, they called on authorities and international institutions to take immediate action to put an end to the media blockade around Gaza and open the sieged territory to international journalists, so they can report on the conflict without restriction. It also demanded the protection of journalists in Gaza. 

We, the undersigned, call for immediate, independent, and unrestricted international media access to Gaza and for full protection of journalists who continue to report under siege.

For 20 months, the Israeli authorities have refused to grant journalists outside of Gaza independent access to the Palestinian territory – a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare. Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation. To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness. This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information.

We understand the inherent risks in reporting from war zones. These are risks that many of our organizations have taken over decades in order to investigate, document developments as they occur, and understand the impacts of war.

At this pivotal moment, with renewed military action and efforts to resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, it is vital that Israel open Gaza’s borders for international journalists to be able to report freely and that Israel abides by its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.

We call on world leaders, governments, and international institutions to act immediately to ensure this.