Journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP), BBC World Service, and Reuters called on Israeli authorities to "allow journalists in and out of Gaza," in a joint statement on Thursday.
The statement from the international media outlets also stated that "It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there."
The journalists are "desperately concerned" for their colleagues in Gaza, who they claim are "increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families."
"These independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground," they added.
Israel, however, disputes that all journalists in Gaza are independent, identifying the killed Al Jazeera journalist, Hossam Shabat, as a sniper in Hamas's Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades's Beit Hanun Battalion.
During the ongoing war in Gaza, Shabat carried out terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, the military claimed.
Hamas pressure on journalists to not report anti-Hamas stories
Additionally, a journalist was threatened by Hamas not to report on a protest in Beit Lahiya in April, the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists reported in May.
The IDF claimed to have killed Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Eslaih, a member of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, in a strike in Khan Yunis, the military said on April 7.
Eslaih, who was previously employed by both CNN and AP, and owned a media company, took part in the October 7 massacre, infiltrating into southern Israel and sharing footage from the massacre to social media, the IDF noted.
A July 2024 report published by anti-Israel media bias watchdog HonestReporting alleged that a Gaza-based CNN freelance journalist was associated with a Hamas-run entity.
Abdel Qader Sabbah appeared in photographs with senior Hamas leaders online and actively praised terrorists while also carrying out unnamed tasks for the terror organization, the report claims.
The report cites CNN's platforming of Sabbah's work. He has also worked for AP, and his platforming casts doubt on the journalistic integrity of the network and the Hamas terror group's ties to it.
The report also raises concerns about journalistic standards and vetting practices of reporters for the media network, in addition to the story content published by the outlet.
BBC Arabic journalist Samer Elzaenen has called for Jews to be burned “as Hitler did,” The Telegraph quoted him as saying in an April 26 report.
Ayman Odeh submits query to defense ministry
Hadash-Ta’al chairman MK Ayman Odeh submitted a parliamentary query to Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday, to demand an explanation for Israel's ban on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip.
"At a time when the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unbearable, when people are starving to death, Israel continues to block independent journalistic access to the Strip. What are you trying to hide?" Odeh asked.