LONDON: Four major international news agencies have released a film that urges Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza.
The short film from the BBC, AFP, Reuters and AP, times to coincide with the UN General Assembly taking place in New York, features historic journalistic footage from conflicts such as World War II, Vietnam, Tiananmen Square, the Rwandan genocide, the Syrian refugee crisis and the war in Ukraine.
“History is told by those who report it,” it begins, narrated by BBC journalist David Dimbleby.
“The report of a child’s body washed up on a beach revealed the stark reality of the Syrian refugee crisis; in Ukraine, journalists from around the world risk their lives every day to report the suffering of the people,” he said, over a slideshow of wartime images.
“But when it comes to Gaza, the job of reporting falls solely to Palestinian journalists who are paying a terrible cost, leaving fewer to bear witness.”
The BBC, in association with Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and Reuters, has launched a short film calling on the Israeli authorities to allow international journalists access to Gaza.
Read more: https://t.co/RZJAL6I6zL pic.twitter.com/wX1LyfOE0h
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) September 24, 2025
The BBC said in a statement on Thursday that the film aims “to highlight the importance of independent journalism throughout key moments in recent history.”
Deborah Turness, CEO of BBC News, said: “As journalists, we record the first draft of history. But in this conflict, reporting is falling solely to a small number of Palestinian journalists, who are paying a terrible cost.”
Foreign journalists have been barred from entering the enclave since the onset of Israel’s war in Gaza, which followed the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Only a select few have been escorted in under tight military control, sparking accusations of censorship and a lack of transparency.
Israel has cited security concerns for the restrictions. In a statement last year, the Israel Defense Forces claimed journalists were accompanied “to ensure safety” in battlefield areas.
Media watchdogs and human rights groups have described the Gaza conflict as the deadliest for journalists.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, at least 248 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the war began. The Israeli government denies they are deliberately targeted.
“We must now be let into Gaza. To work alongside local journalists, so we can all bring the facts to the world,” Turness said.
The new film premiered in New York on Wednesday night during an event hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure to end the war on Gaza after a wave of Western countries formally recognized the State of Palestine this week amid renewed backing for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict.
The war has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to local authorities, and triggered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis marked by famine and widespread displacement.
In response to the diplomatic shift, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state and threatened to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, defying growing global calls for a negotiated solution.
In previous months, the four media outlets had issued joint statements expressing concern over the humanitarian conditions faced by journalists in Gaza, including hunger, displacement and the risk of death.
In August, 27 countries, including the UK, issued a joint statement urging Israel to allow immediate foreign media access to Gaza and condemning attacks on journalists.
