Foreign journalists are still being kept out of Gaza after plans to allow reporters to enter were aborted, The Guardian reports.
Last Friday Israel agreed that up to eight members of the foreign media could enter the Gaza strip when the Erez crossing – the only pedestrian crossing from Israel to Gaza – reopened for humanitarian purposes.
Yesterday however, Israel’s military said it was too dangerous to staff the Erez passenger terminal, making access to the territory impossible.
Israel maintains that foreign media is biased and unethical and should not be allowed into Gaza. Danny Seaman, the head of Israel’s government press office, said foreign journalists are ‘unprofessional’and take ‘questionable reports at face value without checking”.
Israel has been restricting press access to Gaza since the ceasefire with Hamas ended on 4 November but a challenge by the Foreign Press Association led to an agreement to let in eight foreign journalists.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog