Gaza - The Foreign Press Association Saturday called on Israel to allow news media "unrestricted" access to Gaza, off-limits to outside journalists operating independently since the war there began in October 2023.

"We call on Israel to stop the never-ending delays, uphold the fundamental principles of press freedom and allow unrestricted entry for journalists to Gaza," the Jerusalem-based association wrote in a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day.

The FPA has more than 350 members working for foreign media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

The association criticized Israel for an "unprecedented ban preventing foreign journalists from entering Gaza", calling the decision a "mark of shame for a country that claims to be a beacon of democracy".

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The FPA, which has filed an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court challenging the ban, said its members "salute our Palestinian colleagues who continue to report the story at great personal risk".

"Nonetheless, the Israeli restrictions have severely hindered independent reporting and robbed the world of a full picture of the situation in Gaza," the association added.

With the exception of a journalist for CNN who entered a field hospital in Rafah operated by the United Arab Emirates in 2023, the only outside journalists allowed into Gaza, which is under Israeli blockade, did so with Israeli forces.

Their reports were subject to military censorship.

The UN Human Rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said it "sombrely marks World Press Freedom Day as Palestinian journalists continue to be killed or injured at an alarming rate with impunity".

The office said it had independently verified the killing of 211 journalists in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, including 28 women.