From Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General as posted on his official X account (previously known as Twitter)
Palestinian journalists have been our eyes and ears covering the atrocities of the war on Gaza and bringing a human face to describe the impact. They have worked heroically and against all odds.
Together with humanitarian workers they have paid a heavy ultimate price. More than 230 of them have been killed. Gaza is the deadliest place in the world to be a journalist, just as it is the deadliest place to be a humanitarian worker.
Since the war began, international journalists have been banned from entering Gaza independently - something that is fundamental to media freedom.
The ban fuels disinformation campaigns and polarised narratives. It aims at questioning firsthand data and eyewitness accounts, including the testimony of international humanitarian organisations, as well as at dehumanising Palestinians.
The ban on international journalists has lasted too long, lifting it is overdue.
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