Israel’s Supreme Court has pushed back the hearing of a petition filed by an organisation representing international media outlets in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, demanding independent access for journalists to Gaza.

Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from entering the devastated territory, taking only a handful of reporters inside on tightly controlled visits alongside its troops.

On Thursday, Israel’s top court began the hearing of a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) seeking access to Gaza.

The State Attorney acknowledged “the situation has changed” and requested a further 30 days to examine the circumstances. No date has been set for the next hearing.

Speaking outside the courtroom ahead of the hearing, Nicolas Rouget, an FPA board member said:

“We have a right to inform the public, the people of the world, the Israeli public, the Palestinian population.

“We feel we must stand … by our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, who have been the only ones able to inform the public about this conflict over the last two years,” he added.