RSF: Journalists should be allowed in and out of Gaza

The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on Thursday for the opening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt for journalists to allow those who wish to leave and facilitate the entry of others to cover the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Rafah crossing is the only land gateway to the Gaza Strip that Israel does not control, and Egypt and the Palestinian side supervise it.

However, RSF emphasized in its statement that "Israel monitors everything that happens at the southern borders (of the Gaza Strip) and bombed this border crossing four times at the beginning of the war" that erupted on October 7.

The organization called on Israeli and Egyptian authorities to "open the doors" of the crossing so that "all journalists can move back and forth between both sides of the border."

In addition, it clarified that "Israel directs journalists who have evacuated from the north (of the Strip) to gather at the border with Egypt, without being able to cross it.

In contrast, foreign journalists are prohibited from entering" the Strip, which Israel has imposed a blockade on since 2007 after the outbreak of the war.

"During the two months of the war, no correspondent has been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip via Rafah, clearly affecting the media's ability to cover this conflict," it added, noting that "58 journalists were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, including 14 who were performing their journalistic duties."

AFP