Foreign press group opposes Israel's continued delay on granting international media access to Gaza

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem on Thursday said it "firmly opposed" another delay to the Israeli supreme court's decision on its petition demanding independent access to the Gaza Strip.

Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.

Israel has instead allowed, on a case-by-case basis, a handful of reporters to accompany its troops into the Palestinian territory under full Israeli blockade.

On Nov. 24, the supreme court granted the state a further 10 days to respond to the appeal, but on Thursday extended the deadline again to Dec. 21, giving Israel time to present a plan on foreign media access to Gaza.

"This is an urgent appeal. Continuously preventing coverage — every minute, every hour, every day — seriously undermines the ability of international media to carry out their mission, and infringes on the fundamental rights of billions of users," the FPA said in a statement.

The association said it was the ninth time the court agreed to grant an extension, and believed it was "clear that the state's goal is to delay filing their preliminary response as much as possible."

The FPA represents hundreds of foreign journalists working for international news organizations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.