An international media association has criticised the Israeli government for maintaining its ban on unrestricted media access to Gaza, calling the move disappointing.
The government had told the Supreme Court in a submission late on Sunday that the ban should remain in place, citing security risks in Gaza, despite a ceasefire agreement in place since October.
The submission was in response to a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories, seeking immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to Gaza.
"The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government's latest response to our appeal for full and free access to Gaza," the association said on Tuesday.
"Instead of presenting a plan for allowing journalists into Gaza independently and letting us work alongside our brave Palestinian colleagues, the government has decided once again to lock us out" despite the ceasefire in the territory, it added.
Since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza war in October 2023, the government has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory, instead allowing only a limited number to enter on a case-by-case basis while embedded with its military.
In early December 2025, Gaza's government media office said 257 Palestinian journalists had been killed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza..
"Judges will put an end to this charade"
The FPA filed its petition in 2024, after which the court granted the government several extensions to submit its response.
Last month, however, the court set January 4 as a final deadline for the government to present a plan for allowing media access to Gaza.
In its submission, the government maintained that the ban should remain in place.
"This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defence establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists," the government submission said.
The government also argued that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza was ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists in at this stage could hinder the operation.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas came into effect in October, but the Israeli army has committed hundreds of violations since, killing 420 Palestinians and wounding 1,184 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The FPA said it planned to submit a "robust response" to the court, and expressed hope the "judges will put an end to this charade".
"The FPA is confident that the court will provide justice in light of the continuous infringement of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech, the public's right to know and free press," the association added.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.
