Gaza: Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has condemned the Israeli occupation authorities ongoing denial of access to international journalists in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli aggression, describing it as a "ban on reporting the facts."

According to Qatar News Agency, in a statement posted on the X platform, Lazzarini emphasized that preventing international media from entering Gaza is "unprecedented in modern history," warning that such restrictions effectively silence efforts to report the truth from within the besieged Strip.

He further asserted that these measures create "the perfect recipe for fueling media disinformation, deepening polarization, and obscuring humanity."

Lazzarini called for the immediate lifting of the ban on international media in Gaza, stressing the need to allow foreign journalists to operate freely and independently, and to support their Palestinian counterparts who continue to carry out their vital work under dire and often life-threatening conditions.

Since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Palestinian journalists have faced severe and escalating risks.

The Government Media Office in Gaza reported on Friday that the number of Palestinian journalists killed has risen to 226. Additionally, more than 400 journalists have been injured, 49 have been arrested and remain in Israeli custody, and several others have been forcibly disappeared, according to local and international sources.