On the occasion of the EBU’s News Contacts Meeting, the world’s leading alliance of public service media again calls on the Israeli government to unblock access to Gaza for foreign journalists.

The News Contacts Meeting is hosted by EBU Member TRM and taking place in Chisinau, Moldova, on 27-28 May 2025.

Participants are the journalists and producers of more than 40 EBU Members who contribute and receive video news reports daily via the Eurovision News Exchange.

Their work ensures public service media across Europe and beyond have access to the latest verified and fact-checked images available from Gaza, which allows them to report independently and accurately about the war.

This critically important video newsgathering is currently only carried out by Palestinian journalists, aid workers and civilians, because foreign journalists have been banned from entering Gaza since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 180 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Under international law, states have an obligation to take all necessary measures to protect the safety of journalists in conflict zones.

Liz Corbin, EBU Director of News, said: “We are immensely grateful to the Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Their bravery is matched only by their exhaustion as they report on and record highly distressing events for the whole of the world’s news media, under intensely dangerous conditions.”

It is imperative that foreign news teams are free to support the efforts of their Palestinian colleagues by reporting from inside Gaza. Unrestricted access is critical to the freedom of the press and independent reporting.

“The Eurovision News Exchange plays a significant role in helping the public see and understand what is happening inside Gaza. We can see the impact the complete ban on all international media has on the public’s access to information, and it must end now," Corbin added.

See also EBU statement, 4 March 2024