News - Middle East: Western news agencies have called on the Israeli regime to allow international journalists access to the Gaza Strip to report from the besieged Palestinian territory.

Since October 7, 2023, journalists from international news agencies have been denied access to the besieged  territory, only permitted to enter and exit Gaza under Israeli military escort and subject to strict reporting restrictions.

International news agencies such as Agence France-Presse (AFP), The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Reporters Without Borders, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said in a joint statement on Thursday that they are "desperately concerned" for their local reporters in Gaza, who are struggling to find enough food for themselves and their families.

In the statement, the news organizations said journalists are used to working in dire conditions in war zones, but the threat of starvation has now become a grave concern for them.

"For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza," the statement said. "They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering."

"We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there," the statement emphasized.

AFP warned earlier this week that the agency was alarmed by "the appalling situation" facing the people of Gaza, particularly its staff.

It said the living conditions in Gaza are now getting so dire that their local staff is increasingly unable to cover the news.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Government Media Office called on the Tel Aviv regime to immediately open all of the crossings to the Palestinian territory and end the man-made famine.

“We demand the formation of an international commission to investigate the systematic starvation crime,” it said in its latest statement.

Head of the UN aid organization for Palestine issued a warning this week calling for worldwide action to address Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid to the Gaza Strip.

Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini said the international community's inaction in this regard equates to complicity in the starvation of the people of Gaza. 

He said the Israeli forces have banned UNRWA from bringing food and humanitarian aid into Gaza since March.

Lazzarini described the deteriorating situation in Gaza as a man-made crisis, facilitated by the impunity afforded to the Israeli regime.

“Only political will and leadership can reverse full-fledged starvation,” Lazzarini pointed out.

The US-Israeli genocide in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has so far killed more than 59,580 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Source: Press TV