Global news agencies have raised concern over a starvation threat facing journalists covering the war in Gaza.
A joint statement issued on Thursday by BBC News, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP), and Reuters said journalists in the bombarded enclave are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.
“For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering,” the statement reads.
The media outlets said they are deeply concerned by the situation.
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“Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them,” the statement added.
“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.”
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 2024 was the deadliest year for journalists since the organisation began collecting data more than three decades ago.
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Since the war started in October 2023, CPJ said 163 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza face-off.
Palestinian journalists made up nearly two-thirds of those killed last year, the committee noted.
Local Palestinian journalists are the primary—often only—source of independent reporting directly from inside Gaza owing to the bans imposed by Israel restricting most foreign journalists from entering the territory.
However, severe food shortages have rattled what little remains of the press corps, forcing many to choose between covering the war and feeding their families.
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The crisis was exacerbated by Israel’s restriction on the entry of essential supplies into Gaza earlier this year to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said it has the “equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food and medical supplies” waiting in Jordan and Egypt and urged Israel to allow uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza.
