Latest on media exclusion from Gaza Strip

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.