Journalistic appeal demanding that the international press be allowed to return to Gaza

BarcelonaAside from the systematic killing of Palestinian journalists, Israel has effectively blacked Gaza by barring journalists from around the world from entering the country. This Thursday, the Catalan Journalists' Association officially endorsed the "Open Gaza to the International Press" appeal, urging Israel to allow journalists to work freely and independently. "Now more than ever, it is essential that international journalists be able to enter Gaza and document everything that is happening, denouncing how Israel violates the peace plan it committed to every single day," said Llúcia Oliva, the event's presenter.

The event featured Youmna El Sayed, journalist and former Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza; Cristina Mas, journalist, deputy head of the International section at the newspaper ARA and member of the Journalism Against Genocide collective; and Olga García, journalist and spokesperson for Journalism Against Genocide. Sayed currently lives as a refugee in Egypt, but for the past year and a half she has been traveling the world explaining what it means to cover a genocide.

"We want to go to Gaza to do our job," Mas said at the start of her turn to speak, denouncing the fact that the Netanyahu government is preventing journalists from doing their work. Before introducing the guest from Palestine, she also emphasized that "journalism is more necessary than ever." El Sayed's words illustrate what it is like to live and try to do the work of a journalist in a conflict zone like Gaza. During her presentation, she recounted everything she has witnessed during these two long years of conflict. "It's a systematic murder of an entire population while the world watches," she explained. She also recalled how "journalists, colleagues, photographers, friends, and neighbors were murdered simply for telling the truth." Finally, she emphasized that the role of journalists must be to take a firm stance in defense of rights and freedom of expression: "Their role today is not to surrender," she added at the end of her speech.

The event also served to present the manifesto signed by 48 organizations, committees, and councils with this demand. Although Israel signed a ceasefire on October 10, the killings continue, so Olga García demanded "a real and lasting peace in Palestine." She also called for an end to the information blockade and for the international press to be allowed access to Gaza. It was emphasized that the safety and labor rights of all professionals reporting from Gaza and the West Bank must be guaranteed, and that the EU and governments worldwide must defend the public's right to information, as well as hold those who kill journalists accountable and prosecute them before the International Criminal Court. Finally, the manifesto also called for "mechanisms for the Netanyahu government to provide reparations to the families of murdered journalists."