Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor calls for opening Gaza to international media to document the genocide

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called for free and unrestricted access to the Gaza Strip for journalists, international media outlets, fact-finding missions, international investigators, UN special rapporteurs, and International Criminal Court investigators, to document the “crime of genocide committed by Israel” and ensure accountability for those responsible, ensuring justice and redress for victims. In a statement, the Monitor said that the success of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza—which came into effect on Friday afternoon under Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish, and American sponsorship—depends on halting the ongoing genocide and respecting international law. It stressed that the most important step lies in ending the Israeli occupation, lifting the complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, and guaranteeing Palestinians’ right to self-determination and regaining their freedom and dignity.

The Monitor called for the Gaza Strip to be urgently opened to international journalists and allowed field access to document the extent of the destruction and the suffering of civilians after two years of war.

It emphasized that what is happening in Gaza is not a passing event, but rather a “humanitarian and moral duty” to cover one of the most heinous crimes witnessed in the modern era. He pointed out that Israel deliberately sought to obscure the truth by targeting the Palestinian press, assassinating at least 254 journalists, destroying most media institutions, and preventing international crews from entering the Gaza Strip.

He considered that imposing any restrictions on the media or international investigation committees represents a continuation of the policy of obfuscation and cover-up of the crime.