13. oktober møtte Norsk PEN ved Israels ambassade for å kreve at internasjonal presse slipper inn i Gaza, i den usikre perioden etter våpenhvileavtalen. Vi fremhevet ansvaret til den israelske regjeringen for det høyeste antallet drap på journalister og pressefolk i en enkelt krig noensinne.
– Mitt håp at vi nå går inn i bedre dager med mulighet for uavhengige rapporter fra Gaza, sier Eytan Halon, Charge D’affaires ved den israelske ambassaden i Oslo til styreleder Ann-Magrit Austenå, Thomas Spence og Sidsel Wold (begge fra Norsk PENs pressefrihetsutvalg).
Ifølge tall fra Committee to Protect Journalists har 168 reportere blitt drept i israelske angrep på Gaza. Gazas mediekontor har rapportert om et totalt antall dødsfall blant mediearbeidere på 247 mennesker siden oktober 2023.
15. oktober melder den israelske avisen Haaretz at Israel anser det som vanskelig å fortsette å holde journalister ute fra Gazastripen.
Haaretz skriver (oversatt fra hebraisk): “This was in light of the growing demand from foreign media outlets on the subject, and in light of the understanding in Israel that they will have difficulty continuing to prevent foreign journalists from covering the situation in the Gaza Strip. A source familiar with the details said that the Foreign Ministry supports the entry of journalists, and that it appears that Israel intends to allow this.”
- Les mer: – En krigserklæring mot det frie ord
- Månedens fribyforfatter er fra Gaza: Musikken har en ekte kraft
F.v: Ann-Magrit Austenå, Thomas Spence, Israels Charge D’affaires Eytan Halon og Sidsel Wold.
Les hele rapporten fra vårt møte ved ambassaden (engelsk):
Israel’s Charge D’affaires to PEN Norway: ‘I hope journalists again will be able to work freely in Gaza’.
– My hope is that we now are entering into better days with the possibility of independent reports from Gaza being balanced and accurate, says Eytan Halon, Head of Mission and Chargé d’affaires at Embassy of Israel in Oslo. Norwegian PEN met with Halon on October 13 2025.
Just after it was confirmed that the 20 surviving hostages were brought back to Israel from Hamas’ captivity a small delegation from Norwegian PEN was welcomed into the Israeli embassy in Oslo. Norwegian PEN was represented by the two journalists and members of PEN’s Press Freedom Group; Thomas Spence and Sidsel Wold, accompanied by Ann-Magrit Austenå, chair of the board of Norwegian PEN.
As representatives of Norwegian PEN, the visiting group expressed PEN’s sincere hope for this special day to be the start of a new beginning and a path to Peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
But PEN’s main message to the Israeli Head of mission was to underline the emergency in letting international, independent journalists and media workers in to Gaza to be the eyes and ears of the international community in the coming difficult and uncertain period following the war. The PEN representatives also stressed the responsibility of the Israeli government for the highest number of journalists and media workers reported being killed in any single war. According to figures from Committee to Protect Journalists 168 reporters have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office have reported the overall death toll of mediaworkers at 247 since October 2023.
Eytan Halon responded that he himself and the Israeli government respected the role of journalists and underlined the role of a free and independent press in Israel. He stressed that there were no truth in allegations that the Israeli forces strategically targeted journalists.
– But what we have seen on different occasions is that press privileges are exploited by Hamas, who seek unjust press protection. And in the fog of war Israel has made mistakes. Mistakes Israeli officials have regretted.
Mr. Halon, who was born and grew up in the UK, made a point of having himself made a brief stunt as a reporter for The Jerusalem Post and that he, after moving to Israel, had had good relations with the press as a spokesperson for the administration in Tel Aviv.
– I do hope that journalists again will be able to work freely in Gaza. Today we experience Palestinian civilians who fear to speak out after Hamas’ crack down on Palestinians critical of Hamas. My hope is that we now are entering into better days with the possibility of independent reports from Gaza being balanced and accurate.
Mr. Halon also said that in the end it will be relevant Israeli authorities that will make the necessary decisions based on their assessment of safety on the ground. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the GPO (Government Press Office in Jerusalem) are two examples of which authorities who decides if and when foreign and independent press will be able to enter the Gaza strip.
– The journalists will be informed directly from the IDF and the GPO, he said.
Regarding access to Gaza, Mr Halon stressed that the safety for journalists have been primary issue for the Israeli government, as Gaza being an extremely complex combat area.
The representatives of PEN pointed out that risk assessment is the responsibility of the news organizations themselves and that experienced war reporters know the danger, do risk assessments and make the necessary cautious preparations. Repeated appeals to the Supreme Court has been made by the Foreign Press Association in Israel and a growing number of Israeli journalists wants access to Gaza for independent journalists both from Israel and abroad.
A group of 131 Israeli journalists have signed a petition demanding an immediate end to Israel’s targeting of Palestinian reporters in Gaza and calling for an independent investigation into the killings of media workers during the war. The petition, titled “Journalists Call to End the War,” condemned a systematic assault on press freedom in Gaza.
Norwegian PEN further added that the Israeli society need to be informed – in line with an international audience – about the consequences of the war and the suffering of civilians in Gaza. Only then will the Israeli public understand why the public opinion internationally is turning against Israel.
Mr Halon commented that it is not in Israel’s favor that the international media rely on statistics from Hamas controlled organizations and institutions.
– Today reporting out of Gaza is not in Israel’s favor, Halon concluded.
He made clear that his door is always open and that he is trying to get his voice heard. But that so far the Norwegian media had not come to the embassy for comments to the situation and developments in Israel and in Gaza.
Instead Mr. Halon referred with concern to members of the Jewish community in Norway being asked difficult questions and being made responsible for actions made by the Israeli government or the Israeli armed forces. On this the Norwegian PEN and Mr Halon agreed:
No responsibility for the devastating Israeli warfare in Gaza should be placed on members of the small and vulnerable Jewish community in Norway. Something the Norwegian PEN has spoken out against also on former occasions.
On 15 October, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Israel now understands that they will have difficulty continuing to prevent foreign journalists from entering Gaza: Haaretz writes:
“This was in light of the growing demand from foreign media outlets on the subject, and in light of the understanding in Israel that they will have difficulty continuing to prevent foreign journalists from covering the situation in the Gaza Strip. A source familiar with the details said that the Foreign Ministry supports the entry of journalists, and that it appears that Israel intends to allow this.” (Translated from Hebrew).
