Latest on media exclusion from Gaza Strip

19 Jan 10:00 - Foreign journalists enter Gaza via Rafah

Reporters Without Borders has been told that around 60 foreign journalists have entered the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours via the Egyptian border crossing of Rafah. Nonetheless, access from Israel continues to be almost totally blocked.

Reporters Without Borders therefore reiterates its call to the Israeli authorities to totally lift the blockade imposed on the foreign media. The Reporters Without Borders secretary-general will discuss the media blockade when he meets with the Israeli ambassador on 22 January.

16 Jan 18:00 - Italian reporter shot by Israeli soldier, only slightly hurt

An Italian journalist working for the Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper was slightly injured this afternoon when he was fired on by an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip. The shooting occurred while he was on his way from the southern town of Khan Yunis to Gaza City with a Palestinian interpreter in a car bearing "TV" markings.

The reporter sustained a minor injury to the hand when one of the soldiers manning an Israeli checkpoint fired more than 10 shots at the car as they approached. He was taken to a hospital in Khan Yunis where he was treated as an outpatient.

Reporters Without Borders voices deep concern about the incident and calls on the Israeli authorities to investigate the circumstances and guarantee the safety of journalists.

15 Jan 18:00 - Two Palestinian journalists employed by Iranian TV freed on bail after being held for 10 days on spying charges

Reporters Without Borders hails today's release of two Palestinian journalists employed by the Iranian Arabic-language TV station Al-Alam, who were held by the Israeli authorities for 10 days on spying charges. However, they were freed on bail and are still accused of "revealing secret information" and "transmitting information to the enemy in war time."

"The disproportion between the nature of the charges against these two journalists and their conditional release after 10 days leads us to question to quality of the evidence available to the Israeli authorities," Reporters Without Borders said. "The authorities should think twice before going ahead with a prosecution of such a serious nature."

Khader Shaheen, a Jerusalem resident and Al-Alam correspondent, was summoned for questioning by the Israeli police on 5 January for reporting the start of Israel's land offensive against the Gaza Strip on 3 January before the Israeli censors lifted the news embargo on this development.

His assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, accompanied him to the Petah Tikva police station, near Tel Aviv, in order to give evidence in his defence.

After questioning them, the police placed both of them under arrest. When they were taken before a judge the next day, he ordered them held for another six days for further investigation. Another two days of detention were ordered in a subsequent hearing. They were formally charged on 13 January.

Their lawyer, David Derri, finally managed to get them released today after payment of bail. However, they have been placed under house arrest and are forbidden to do journalistic work of any kind until their trial, for which no date has yet been set.

15 jan 16:00 - Israeli military asked to explain how Gaza media building came to be hit by explosion

Reporters Without Borders calls on the Israeli military to investigate and explain exactly how a 16-storey building in Gaza City that houses several news organisations including Reuters came to be hit by an explosion this morning.

An Abu Dhabi TV journalist and a Reuters cameraman were injured in the blast that shook the Al-Shurouq Tower. It was not immediately known whether the explosion was the result of a missile or a shell fired by a tank.

Reuters said an Israeli army spokesman contacted the news agency's Jerusalem bureau shortly before the explosion to verify the location of its Gaza bureau. Reuters had informed the Israeli army of the exact location at the start of the war and was assured by the Israelis on several occasions that it would not be a target.

Reporters Without Borders has written to the Israeli army high command asking it to shed light on the circumstances of today's incident. The press freedom organisation points out that, under international humanitarian law, news media must be given the same protection as civilians.

14 Jan 10:00 - Journalists try to enter Gaza Strip from Rafah

A group of 17 journalists and press freedom activists led by Robert Ménard, the head of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, travelled yesterday to Rafah, on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, to demand access to the Gaza Strip for foreign journalists and in order to able to deliver press material, including pens, notepads and cameras, to Palestinian journalists. Although the Egyptian authorities have so far refused to let them cross the border, they say they are "optimistic."

13 Jan 18:00 - Israeli soldiers arrest photographer inside closed military zone (AFP)

A photographer working for an international news agency was arrested by the Israeli army today while inside the closed military zone controlled by Israel along the Gaza Strip.

"He was taking pictures inside the closed military zone," an army spokesman told AFP without giving his identity. "He was detained by the army and then handed over to the police." A police spokesman confirmed that the photographer was being questioned in a police station in the town of Sderot in southern Israel, after "entering the closed military zone."

The Israeli army declared the area adjoining the Gaza Strip a "closed military zone" two days after the start of its offensive on 27 December.

The Israeli military authorities have since then imposed severe restrictions on the press in and around the Gaza Strip. Only a very small number of foreign journalists have been allowed into the territory, but they were accompanied by Israeli troops.

13 Jan 15:00 - Reuters in Gaza

A Reuters crew was allowed to accompany an Israeli army patrol inside the Gaza Strip yesterday.

The video shot by the Reuters crew : http://www.lemonde.fr/la-guerre-de-gaza/video/2009/01/13/images-d-une-equipe-tv-embarquee-avec-l-armee-israelienne-a-gaza_1141154_1137859.html

12 Jan 10:00 - Iranian TV employees held for two more days in Jerusalem

A judge in Jerusalem yesterday ordered Khodr Shaheen, the correspondent of the Iranian Arabic-language TV station Al-Alam, and his assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, detained for another two days while the police prepare an indictment against them for "state security" violations. They were arrested on 5 January in Jerusalem for violating censorship rules.

10 Jan 19:00 - Radio journalist killed as Israeli bombardment hits journalists' houses and buildings housing media in the past 24 hours

Journalist Ala Mortaji died last evening from his injuries received when his house was hit by fire from an Israeli tank earlier in the day during an assault on the Zaitoun district. He was working in the Gaza Strip for a local radio. The house of another local journalist, Samir Khalifah, was also hit.

The al-Johara tower, housing around 20 media and productions studios, was also hit yesterday evening by Israeli rocket fire, injuring two journalists from Iranian national television al-Alam and putting all the organisations out of action. An Israeli military spokesman said that the building had not been targeted but had suffered "collateral damage".

10 Jan 12:00 - Police violence against Al-Jazeera crew during Gaza protest in Amman

Al-Jazeera's Amman correspondent, Yasser Abou Hlaleh, was hit by police during clashes in the Jordanian capital yesterday between riot police and a large crowd of demonstrators who were prevented from marching on the Israeli embassy to protest against Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip. The Al-Jazeera cameraman's camera and mobile phone were confiscated while the cameraman herself was injured and had to be hospitalised.

Reporters Without Borders regrets that Hocine Ben Rabie, a reporter with the Arabic-language daily Ennahar, sustained serious head injuries in unclear circumstances during a similar pro-Palestinian demonstration in Algiers yesterday. He was taken to the Mustapha Pacha hospital in the city centre where he was reported to be in a serious condition and underwent an operation.

9 Jan - 17:45 - France 24 correspondent in Gaza tells about his life conditions and the difficult exercise of his work

09 Jan 14:00 - Palestinian journalist killed in Gaza bombing

A Palestinian journalist, Ihab el-Wahidi el-Baligh, was killed in an Israeli bombardment yesterday while paying his family a brief visit at their home in the southwestern outskirts of Gaza City. His wife and his father-in-law were also killed. Aged 32, Baligh worked as a cameraman for Filastine, the Palestinian Authority's official TV station, often covering the activities of President Mahmoud Abbas. Reporters Without Borders condemns all the military operations in which journalists have been killed or injured. The death toll from Operation "Cast Lead," which was launched on 27 December, today reached 785.

8 Jan 16:30 - Israeli human rights NGOs create joint Gaza blog

Israeli human rights organisations have created a joint blog to inform the Israeli public about the impact on civilians of the fighting in Gaza and Israel.

Reporters Without Borders invites you to take a look : http://gazaeng.blogspot.com/

8 Jan 10:30 - Israel lets four journalists into Gaza Strip

The Israeli Foreign Press Assocation has told Reporters Without Borders that the Israel Defence Forces allowed a BBC cameraman and three Israeli journalists to enter the Gaza Strip yesterday evening. The four journalists accompanied an IDF unit and were obliged to return after several hours. They were limited to covering the activities of the soldiers they accompanied, and their movements were restricted. The IDF made no announcement about this granting of limited media access. The FPA said it was the first time in two years that Israeli journalists have been allowed to cross into the Gaza Strip.

7 Jan 15:30 - Palestinian cameraman dies of injuries received in Gaza air strike

Reporters Without Borders is saddened by the news that Bassel Faraj, a Palestinian cameraman who worked for Algerian television station TV Algérie, died yesterday from the injuries he received while covering Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip on 27 December.

Faraj sustained head injuries when a shell exploded and was unconscious when he was taken to a hospital. Three other media personnel - Mohammed al-Tanani, Mohammed Madi and Khaled Abu Shamal - were injured by the same shell and were also hospitalised but they have all since been discharged.

Reporters Without Borders offers its condolences to the Faraj family and its support for all the journalists and media personnel working in the Gaza Strip in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions.

6 Jan 17:30 - Two media personnel arrested in Jerusalem

According to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, soldiers arrested Khodr Shahine, the correspondent of the Iranian TV station Al-Alam, and his assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, yesterday in Jerusalem, where they are residents. They were taken to Petah Tiqva (near Tel Aviv) for interrogation and were brought today before a military judge who ordered them held for another six days. Their lawyer was not able to visit them. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is planning to stage a demonstration at noon tomorrow in Ramallah in protest at their arrest.

6 Jan 15:30 - Fuel shortage could cut us off within 48 hours, Palestinian news agency chief says

Palestinian media personnel spoke to Reporters Without Borders today by telephone about the problems being encountered by their reporters in the Gaza Strip. "One of our biggest problems is getting about within the territory," Ma'an news agency executive director Raed Othman said.

"As regards their personal safety, most of the journalists prefer not to wear bullet-proof vests for fear of becoming targets," Othman continued. "There is also a problem with sources. Both sides, Israel and Hamas, have activated their propaganda machines, which makes it hard to verify information. In the absence of independent sources, rumours and informal networks are growing. Many people based in Gaza continue to post blog entries."

Wafa news agency journalist Khader Moussa told Reporters Without Borders : "Power cuts and phone line cuts are frequent. Most of our correspondents are forced to go to their offices to take advantage of the few power sources available, although many would rather stay at home and not risk being killed on the road."

Othman added : "For the time being, electronic devices are functioning thanks to generators, but fuel could run out within 48 hours if the situation is not resolved before then, and this could cut us off from the rest of the world."

6 Jan 09:00 - International media at Gaza's gates

As a result of the closure of the border crossings by the Israeli authorities, international media personnel continue to be excluded from the Gaza Strip, where the military operations are taking place.

Many western media reporters are covering events from the border, from where they can see the effects of the air strikes and the fighting from a distance.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which groups foreign journalists based in Israel, appealed to the Israeli supreme court on 31 December for 12 journalists to be allowed into the Gaza Strip when the borders crossings were opened to let humanitarian aid in. The supreme court ruled in favour of the FPA request but the border has continued to be closed for the media.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it would not be able to keep the border crossings permanently open for security reasons, because the crossings could become targets for Hamas rockets. The IDF and the FPA have also not yet agreed on the list of journalists who would be allowed into the Gaza Strip.

Several international news agencies nonetheless have personnel in the Gaza Strip. They include Reuters and AFP, which employ Palestinian reporters and photographers.

Several independent Palestinian news agencies such as Ramattan (http://www.ramattan.com/) and Ma'an (http://www.maannews.net/) are feeding news reports and video footage to the foreign media including the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera and the US television news network CNN.

For the time being, Reporters Without Borders is not aware of any casualties among the Palestinian journalists working in the Gaza Strip.