CPJ calls on international community to urge Israel to end Gaza media ban after Supreme Court delay

New York, October 23, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on the international community to pressure Israel to immediately lift all restrictions preventing journalists from entering Gaza, after the Supreme Court today granted the state an additional 30 days to respond to a petition challenging the two-year ban on entry. 

Israel’s request for the court to delay its ruling on the ban’s legality — after the hearing was already postponed three times in 2025 — further prolongs the exclusion of international journalists from Gaza.

“After two years of no access, it is unacceptable that international journalists wait any longer to report independently from Gaza,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “We reject the request for any further delay and call on Israeli authorities to allow immediate, unfettered media access. The government’s 30-day request only extends an already unacceptable blackout. Journalists have a right to enter Gaza and report freely now—not in another month. The public’s right to information cannot be put on hold and the international community cannot allow Israel to indefinitely prohibit media from accessing Gaza.” 

During the hearing, the State Attorney admitted that “the situation has changed” but said the government needed another month before reconsidering its position. He added that Israel plans to renew limited Israel Defense Forces (IDF) escorts for journalists within the so-called “yellow line” to which Israeli forces withdrew to earlier this month during the ceasefire, describing the situation as “delicate” and “hard to assess.”

Israel’s escorts are infrequent and highly-controlled by the military. Journalists are only allowed  in Gaza for a few hours, where they are taken to specific locations and are not allowed to engage freely with Palestinians. This falls short of internationally accepted practice, which requires independent media access. Embedding – if it facilitates journalistic freedom–can supplement independent access, but should not be a substitute for it. The IDF’s escorts do not allow journalistic freedom, but rather are a tool for propaganda. 

Attorney Gilead Sher, representing the Foreign Press Association, which filed the petition, told the court that Israeli authorities have had several opportunities during previous ceasefires and reductions in fighting to reassess the ban but have failed to act. He noted that the state has shown “no urgency” in addressing concerns about freedom of expression and said that only eight FPA journalists have been permitted to join IDF escorted trips since the start of the war.

CPJ filed an amicus brief on October 5 supporting the FPA’s second petition to the Israeli Supreme Court calling for free and independent access for journalists to the Gaza Strip. During the hearing, the Court accepted the brief, which will be considered at the next hearing.  

CPJ reiterates its call for Israel to lift the restrictions without further delay and to establish a transparent, fair system enabling all journalists to access Gaza independently and safely. The international community, particularly countries involved in negotiating ceasefire terms, must take action to ensure that independent media access to Gaza — without censorship or intimidation—is a non-negotiable commitment for Israel.