Israel’s top court delays Gaza press access ruling amid years-long ban

Court gives Israeli authorities until March to warrant prohibition connected overseas media from Gaza

Israel’s Supreme Court has postponed a determination connected whether to let overseas journalists autarkic entree to Gaza, successful the latest hold of a ineligible conflict that has stretched implicit a year.

The tribunal granted the authorities until March 31 to respond to the petition filed by the Foreign Press Association, contempt authorities attorneys failing to supply elaborate justifications beyond citing information risks.

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The determination extends a argumentation that has barred overseas correspondents from entering Gaza to study connected conditions there, unless reporters are prepared to embed with the Israeli army.

At the proceeding connected Wednesday, justices appeared frustrated with the government’s explanations for maintaining the broad prohibition connected autarkic property access, which has remained successful spot since Israel launched its genocidal warfare against the Palestinian radical of Gaza pursuing the Hamas-led onslaught connected October 7, 2023.

A ceasefire took effect successful October 2025, though Israel has continued carrying retired attacks, which person killed much than 400 people.

Justice Ruth Ronen rejected the state’s arguments, insisting that “it is not capable to mention ‘security risks’ without providing details” and noting determination had been “a precise important alteration connected the ground” since the ceasefire.

The FPA’s ineligible squad was barred from attending oregon accessing the worldly presented to the judges.

The FPA, which represents 370 journalists from 130 media outlets, said it was “deeply disappointed that the Israeli Supreme Court has erstwhile again postponed ruling connected our petition for free, autarkic property entree to Gaza.”

“All the much concerning is that the tribunal appears to person been swayed by the state’s classified information arguments,” the FPA added, calling the closed-door process 1 that “offers nary accidental for america to rebut these arguments and clears the mode for the continued arbitrary and open-ended closure of Gaza to overseas journalists.”

This marks the ninth hold granted to the authorities since the petition was filed successful September 2024.

Just days earlier, connected January 25, Israel extended its shutdown of Al Jazeera’s operations for different 90 days, citing nationalist information threats the web denies.

US program for Gaza demilitarisation

The postponement comes arsenic mediators proceed to property for advancement successful the US-backed program to extremity Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

At the UN Security Council, the United States said it had unveiled plans for an “internationally funded buyback” programme to disarm Hamas arsenic portion of Gaza’s demilitarisation, which is simply a cardinal constituent successful the 2nd signifier of the US-backed plan.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the Security Council connected Wednesday that “international, autarkic monitors volition supervise a process of demilitarisation of Gaza to see placing weapons permanently beyond usage done an agreed process of decommissioning”, supported by the buyback scheme.

Hamas inactive controls conscionable nether fractional of the territory successful Gaza beyond the Yellow Line, wherever Israeli forces stay present.

The 2nd signifier of the US program volition besides necessitate the Israeli service to withdraw, though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said demilitarisation would person to travel earlier immoderate further advancement connected the ceasefire.

Two Hamas officials told the Reuters quality bureau this ‌week that neither the United States nor the mediators presented the Palestinian radical with immoderate elaborate oregon factual disarmament proposal.