Sky News has joined other UK broadcasters and organisations from around the world to call for access to Gaza to report on the war.
Entry to the narrow strip for journalists has been all but impossible without the permission and supervision of the IDF.
Instead, news organisations have relied on brave Gaza-based journalists working to share what is happening while their lives, and those of their families, are at risk every day.
Sky News’ Mark Stone was able to report from inside Gaza on an embedded facility with the Israeli military in November.
In a letter to the Israeli and Egyptian embassies, Sky News jointly with others wrote: “Almost five months into the war in Gaza, foreign reporters are still being denied access to the territory, outside of the rare and escorted trips with the Israeli military.
“We urge the governments of Israel and Egypt to allow free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media. We call on the government of Israel to openly state its permission for international journalists to operate in Gaza and for the Egyptian authorities to allow international journalists access to the Rafah Crossing.”
The letter continues: “There is intense global interest in the events in Gaza and for now the only reporting has come from journalists who were already based there.
“It’s vital that local journalists’ safety is respected and that their efforts are bolstered by the journalism of members of the international media.
“The need for comprehensive on the ground reporting of the conflict is imperative.
“The risks of conflict reporting are well understood by our organisations who have decades of experience of reporting in war-zones around the world and in previous wars in Gaza.”
Letter signatories
Alex Crawford, Sky News; Alex Rossi, Sky News; Alex Thomson, Channel 4; Alistair Bunkall, Sky News; Anna Botting, Sky News; Charlie D’Agata, CBS; Chris Livesay, CBS; Christiane Amanpour, CNN; Clarissa Ward, CNN; Clive Myrie, BBC; Cordelia Lynch, Sky News; Debora Patta, CBS; Deborah Haynes, Sky News; Diana Magnay, Sky News; Dominic Waghorn, Sky News; Emma Murphy, ITN; Fergal Keane, BBC; Fiona Bruce, BBC; Hala Gorani, NBC; Holly Williams, CBS; Ian Lee, CBS; Ian Pannell, ABC; Imtiaz Tyab, CBS; James Longman, ABC; Jeremy Bowen, BBC; John Irvine, ITN; John Ray, ITN; John Sparks, Sky News; Julie Etchingham, ITN; Katya Adler, BBC; Kirsty Wark, BBC; Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4; Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4; Lyse Doucet, BBC; Mark Austin, Sky News; Mark Stone, Sky News; Martha Kearney, BBC; Matt Frei, Channel 4; Mishal Husain, BBC; Molly Hunter, NBC; Nawal al-Maghafi, BBC; Nick Robinson, BBC; Orla Guerin, BBC; Paraic O’Brien, Channel 4; Quentin Sommerville, BBC; Ramy Inocencio, CBS; Reeta Chakrabarti, BBC; Richard Engel, NBC; Rohit Kachroo, ITN; Sarah Montague, BBC; Secunder Kermani, Channel 4; Stuart Ramsay, Sky News; Tom Bateman, BBC; Tom Bradby, ITN; Yalda Hakim, Sky News; Yousra Elbagir, Sky News
