The court has given the Israeli government until March to ban foreign media from Gaza
Israel’s Supreme Court has postponed a decision on whether to allow foreign journalists free access to Gaza, in the latest delay in a year-long legal battle.
The court gave the government till March 31 response On a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association, state prosecutors cited security risks despite failing to provide detailed justification.
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The decision extends a policy that has prohibited foreign journalists from entering Gaza, unless the journalists are willing to be embedded with Israeli forces.
At Wednesday’s hearing, the justices were frustrated by the government’s explanation for maintaining a blanket ban on free press access since Israel began a massacre against Palestinians in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led offensive.
A ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, although Israel has continued attacks, in which more than 400 people were killed.
Justice Ruth Ronen rejected the state’s arguments, saying “it is not enough to cite a ‘security risk’ without detail” and noted that there had been “very significant changes on the ground” since the armistice.
The FPA’s legal team was barred from attending or accessing material presented to the judge.
The FPA, which represents 370 journalists from 130 media outlets, said it was “deeply disappointed that Israel’s Supreme Court has once again postponed a decision on our petition for free, independent press access to Gaza.”
“The court appears swayed by the state’s classified security argument,” it said, adding that the closed-door process “provides no opportunity for us to rebut these arguments and paves the way for the closure of Gaza to foreign journalists.”
This is the ninth extension given to the government since the petition was filed in September 2024.
A few days ago, on January 25, Israel Extended Al Jazeera’s operations have been suspended for another 90 days after the network refused, citing national security threats.
US Plan for Gaza Demilitarization
The moratorium comes as mediators press for progress on a US-backed plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza.
At the United Nations Security Council, the United States said it had unveiled plans for an “internationally financed buyback” program to disarm Hamas as part of the demilitarization of Gaza, a key component of the second phase of the US-backed plan.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the Security Council on Wednesday that, supported by the buyback plan, “international, independent monitors will oversee the process of Gaza’s demilitarization including the permanent disposal of weapons”.
Hamas still controls half of the territory beyond the Yellow Line in Gaza, where Israeli forces are present.
The second phase of the US plan would require the withdrawal of Israeli forces, although Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said disarmament would have to take place before further progress on the cease-fire.
Two Hamas officials told Reuters news agency this week that neither the United States nor mediators had presented any detailed or concrete disarmament proposal to the Palestinian group.