Peter Beaumont, the Jerusalem correspondent of the Guardian and the Observer, posted the following to Twitter:
Message to journalists in Gaza from the Israeli Government Press Office which I reproduce without comment (cont) http://t.co/yNG2azfA3g
— peter beaumont (@petersbeaumont) July 19, 2014
Here is the announcement:
Subject: GPO Advisory to Journalists Covering Operation Protective Edge from the Gaza Strip
GPO Advisory to Journalists Covering Operation Protective Edge from the Gaza Strip
(Communicated by the GPO)
Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza continue to attack Israel’s civilian population. They have fired over 1,800 rockets at Israel’s towns and cities, putting five million of our citizens – men, women and children – in bomb shelters. They have infiltrated Israel by sea and tunnel in an attempt to murder and kidnap Israelis.
In response to these attacks and Hamas’ repeated rejection of cease-fire proposals, the IDF began a ground operation in Gaza on Thursday night.
The GPO is doing everything in its power to provide the foreign press with timely information and to facilitate access.
Nevertheless, we wish to stress that Gaza and its vicinity are a battleground. Covering the hostilities exposes journalists to life-threatening danger (and involves risk to equipment).
As part of Hamas’ strategy of hiding behind the civilian population it has frequently exploited journalists as human shields, deliberately putting them at risk of injury or death.
Israel is not in any way responsible for injury or damage that may occur as a result of field reporting.
The GPO advises the members of the press to take every possible precaution. Journalists in need of assistance should contact the GPO to facilitate expedited passage from the Erez crossing.
Be safe in your mission.
Ayman Mohyledin and other brave journalists beware. When Israel pretends it cares for your safety and warns you, then be very wary of the IDF, and do not trust them.
They would prefer you do not report on their massacre in Gaza.
Journalists in need of assistance should contact the GPO to facilitate expedited passage from the Erez crossing.
I.e., they’re telling journalists to leave Gaza, and using threats to try to make them do so.
I still maintain they were aiming for Ayman on that beach.
Targeting and killing war correspondents and journalists is not only a war crime, its a strategic blunder that would yield high negatives for Israel in spades.
Maybe they want to avoid having another case where Israeli forces kill children right in front of a hotel of foreign journalists. The NYT story (written by a photographer) was one of the harshest things about Israeli behavior ever to appear in print in that paper.
Incidentally, a side issue, but the news section of the NYT is much better than usual. Not perfect, but much better. The editorial page, on the other hand, is a disgrace–the Saturday editorial piece condemned Hamas crimes, but used the passive voice when describing the deaths of Palestinian civilians and implicitly blamed the deaths on Hamas. They also never mention the Palestinian demand that the blockade be lifted, which is repeated by several ordinary Palestinians in the NYT stories. There’s now a gap between their news coverage and their editorial page. It probably won’t last, but it’s there.