Supreme Court Gives Country 30 Days to Repeat Gaza Media Ban Post Ceasefire

The Supreme Court of Justice on Thursday gave the government 30 days to review its position on allowing independent journalists into the Gaza strip.

The Supreme Court of Justice on Thursday gave the government 30 days to review independent journalists in the Gaza strip, amid requests for rest from foreign countries that do not have all media rights and violate democratic rights.

When he heard in Jerusalem, the three-judge panel was withdrawn by Justice Orer Grosskopf, by Justice Gila Canofy-Steinitz and Justice Ruth Ronen, taking into account the circumstances of the last full response in June, after ending the fire that started earlier this month. Ronan told the attorney general’s office that the government must now ‘reassess’ its policy in light of the new situation.

Lawyer Gilead Sher, representing the FPA, urged the court to prevent further delays and issue a temporary order allowing journalists independent access to Gaza. He emphasized that the continuation of the case was dismissed for more than a year as the state quickly sought extensions.

A long legal battle

The Court’s order marks the latest development in the legal battle between the government and the FPA, challenging the security service and its policy banning all journalists from October 7, 2023, after the deadly attack and in southern Israel. This case has become an important test of Israel’s balance between national security and suppressed freedom during the war.

The FPA petition, filed in 2024, says that the blanket condition on independent access “violates the fundamental principles of the state as a democratic country, and represents a serious harm, and is compatible with the freedom of freedom, and the public’s right to information.”

The organization requested that the Supreme Court listen to the Ministry of Defense and the IDF to plan “clear policies and systematic procedures” with limited autonomy from inside Gaza.

The government, in its previous response was filed in June, concerned about security, asserting that allowing journalists to disclose information positions and operational details and thus “put them at real risk.” The government also pointed out that the Supreme Court had already rejected the same wound of the FPA in January 2024, ruling that “the right cannot be allowed” for anyone, including journalists, to enter Gaza.

Since the filing of the complaint, the State requested several deductions – nine counting the FPA – all of which were granted by the court. A hearing scheduled for June was canceled following Israel’s attack on Iran, and the allegations.

Israel has only allowed limited access to IDF-controlled embeds, primarily for Israeli journalists and a small number of affiliates. Those appeals are strictly prohibited and depend on military oversight, which the FPA says prevents full coverage of the war.

After Thursday’s ruling, the FPA said it was “disappointed in the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to give Israel’s status another delay,” accusing the government of “twisting information.”

The state must now submit its revised position within 30 days.