RSF - Reporters sans frontières

09/26/2025 | Press release | Archived content

21 nations call on Israeli government to open Gaza to foreign media and allow evacuation of Palestinian journalists

In an appeal launched from the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City, 21 states called on the Israeli authorities to open the territory to the international media and allow the evacuation of journalists who wish to leave. They also demanded protection for journalists and media professionals in Gaza. This appeal follows the ministerial side-event initiated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on 24 September, which brought together 11 ministers and over 20 countries.

The appealwas the fruit of a ministerial event organisedby RSF and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dedicated to the protection of journalists in Gaza. It was the first high-level meeting on the subject in two years at the United Nations, where several Palestinian journalists from Gaza were able to recount their lived experiences. It also follows the campaign organisedby RSF on 1 September in which over 250 media outlets from 70 countries blacked out their front pages, home pages and interrupted broadcasting in support of Gaza's journalists.

"RSF thanks the signatory states and stands ready to assist them in making concrete progress in implementing an action plan. Ten years after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2222, its fundamental principles - including the contribution of journalists to the protection of civilians - remain more relevant than ever and the situation facing journalists in Gaza is posing a grave challenge to the protection of journalists in armed conflict. The smear campaigns and targeted strikes by the Israeli armed forces must not lead to the normalisation of these crimes and a regression in international law, which is not a legal construct or a political totem but a moral imperative. The unprecedented communications operation on September 1st, initiated by RSF, gathered the international community around three key words: protection, access, and evacuation. The time for words is long over - now, we must act

Thibaut Bruttin
RSF Director General

Proposed by France, the appeal was also signed by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The appeal reads as follows:

"On September 24th, during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly, France, together with Reporters without Borders (RSF), organized an event dedicated to the situation of journalists in Gaza. At the end of this event, this statement was endorsed by 21 countries. We met together with representatives of civil society to discuss the protection of journalists in Gaza and access to information. We pay tribute to the journalists killed and injured in Gaza while carrying out their work.

We reaffirm our commitment to the safety of journalists and media professionals in Gaza and demand that their protection be ensured, in accordance with international humanitarian law. We call on the Israeli authorities to allow journalists who wish to leave the Gaza Strip to do so, and to authorize access for independent foreign media to Gaza.

We recall our commitment to the principles of press freedom and freedom of expression. Safe access to information is essential for journalists and media professionals to be able to do their work. A free and pluralistic press is necessary for the functioning of democracy."

Published on26.09.2025
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