In recent days, major Bulgarian media have published a series of reports based on a journalistic trip to Israel, organized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv. The Association of European Journalists (AEJ) expresses its support for Bulgarian journalists reporting directly from the field about the war in Gaza and the devastating Hamas attacks that ignited the conflict on October 7, 2023. Yet for an accurate and fair story, it is essential that journalists also have access to the parts of the Gaza Strip under Israeli army control – areas that international reporters have been barred from entering since the start of the war.

Since 2024, more than 70 leading global media and journalist organizations have urged Israel to grant independent media access to Gaza. However, the ban on foreign teams remains in force. Meanwhile, the number of Palestinian and international journalists killed in Israeli strikes has topped 200, an unprecedented figure in modern conflicts.

Organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have documented numerous instances indicating that journalists and media workers were deliberately targeted by Israeli forces. These attacks happen in a climate of impunity, with no independent investigations. Because of this, 60 journalist groups, including AEJ-Bulgaria, appealed to the EU in August 2024 to reassess its relationship with Israel.

Despite these calls, the EU has yet to take any specific steps. The killings of journalists continue, set against the backdrop of growing civilian casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis, aggravated by a blockade of humanitarian aid that has lasted over two months.

It is important to recall that on April 7, 2025, an Israeli missile strike hit a tent of journalists outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The head of the social media department at the Palestine Today news agency, Helmi Al-Faqawi, died instantly. The next day, cameraman Ahmad Mansour succumbed to severe burns. Seven more journalists were wounded: Mahmoud Awad (an Al Jazeera cameraman), Hassan Aslih (a freelancer accused by Israel of links to the October 7 attack),  Abdallah Al-Attar (a cameraman for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency), Majed Koudeih (a Radio Algeria correspondent), Ihab Al-Burdini (an ABC News cameraman), Ahmed Alagha (a BBC Arabic contributor), Mohamed Fayek (a freelance photographer), and Ali Islaye (a photographer for Alam 24). On April 15, young Palestinian photographer Fatima Hassouna was also killed along with ten family members, just a day after news emerged that a documentary about her life in Gaza was set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Amid these restrictions, doctors and humanitarian workers have become some of the few credible sources of information on the ground. Yet they too face the risk of death. On March 19, Bulgarian UN employee Marin Marinov was killed by an Israeli tank shell. The Israeli army acknowledged responsibility a month later – only after the UN and major outlets like the Washington Post had already provided irrefutable evidence. Today, another Bulgarian, Milena Angelova-Chee, works as an anesthesiologist at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. She once survived a bombing at the European Hospital in the same city.

AEJ-Bulgaria firmly believes that reporting from Gaza is not only a critical issue of public interest in Bulgaria but also a fundamental journalistic duty. If Israel invites Bulgarian journalists to report from its territory, it must also guarantee them access to occupied areas in Gaza and ensure their safety from Israeli fire. Journalists are the only safeguard against the lies and propaganda that always surround war. AEJ Bulgaria insists on free and safe access for journalists on both sides of the conflict – in Israel and Gaza – so journalists can fulfill their mission to give voice to the civilians caught in the fighting.

AEJ Bulgaria also calls on the editorial teams of Bulgarian media to support the appeals of dozens of media outlets worldwide, demanding that Israel and Egypt grant access to journalists in Gaza. At a time of escalating conflicts, supporting and developing war reporting is crucial – providing funds for independent travel, protective gear, training for work in war zones, and investments in OSINT teams to verify information from afar.

Source: AEJ Bulgaria