BBC, AFP, AP and Reuters urge Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza in new film

A new film produced by the BBC in partnership with AFP, the Associated Press and Reuters is urging Israel to grant foreign journalists access to Gaza, arguing that having international reporters on the ground is essential to provide independent coverage alongside local journalists. Narrated by veteran BBC journalist David Dimbleby, the film calls on Israeli authorities to let foreign correspondents into the territory to share the burden of reporting from Gaza with Palestinian colleagues.

The project arrives as foreign journalists have largely been prohibited from entering Gaza independently since Israel’s 2023 offensive in response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. A small number have been admitted under controlled access by Israeli troops, a practice the Israeli military says is designed to allow reporting while ensuring safety. In the background, Israel’s High Court of Justice previously ruled that restrictions on entry to Gaza were justified on security grounds, a finding cited by critics who say it limits independent verification of events on the ground.

In July, BBC News, AFP, AP and Reuters issued a joint statement expressing “desperate concern” for journalists in Gaza who were described as facing dire conditions, including hunger and displacement. The concerns were echoed in August by a statement signed by 27 countries, including the United Kingdom, calling for immediate foreign media access to Gaza and condemning attacks on journalists there.

The film’s makers frame the issue as a matter of accountability and witness. It features footage of major historical moments alongside contemporary scenes, underscoring the risks reporters face in conflict zones. Dimbleby’s narration includes a stark contrast between foreign coverage in other theaters and the reporting situation in Gaza: “In Ukraine, journalists from around the world risk their lives every day to report the suffering of the people. But when it comes to Gaza the job of reporting falls solely to Palestinian journalists, who are paying a terrible cost, leaving fewer to bear witness.”

Premiering in New York on a night tied to the United Nations General Assembly, the film was released at an event hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The timing underscores ongoing calls from media organizations for greater access as international attention to Gaza remains high. The organizers say the project is intended to illustrate how access limitations hamper the world’s ability to understand what is happening on the ground.

The ongoing Gaza crisis has produced a deadly tally that continues to rise. The UN and other organizations have cited casualty figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which says more than 65,419 people have been killed there since the conflict began after the 7 October attacks. The toll is widely cited by the UN and other monitors as the most reliable available estimate for Gaza, though it reflects the Gaza Strip’s own reporting apparatus rather than independent verification.

Separately, the UN Human Rights Office has documented the deaths of at least 248 Palestinian journalists in the course of Israeli attacks in Gaza, underscoring the dangers to reporters covering the conflict. Israel has repeatedly denied targeting journalists, though access and safety challenges for international reporters remain acute.

The Hamas assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 251 others as hostages, setting off a war in Gaza that has produced extensive destruction and displacement. The new film argues that without foreign journalists in Gaza, the international community may miss critical aspects of the story, particularly in areas where Palestinian reporters have faced extraordinary personal risk.

As the conflict persists, calls for foreign media access to Gaza continue to surface from media organizations and allied governments alike. The film’s backers say wider access would help ensure that the facts on the ground are witnessed by a broader array of journalists and that reporting reflects diverse perspectives in a region where information has long been contested. The producers emphasize that access is a matter of accountability, safety, and the obligation to document human suffering with rigor and independence.