Middle East turmoil: UN sounds alarm on Gaza aid and Iran mourns president

Press groups and Israel’s opposition leader are denouncing authorities’ decision to seize a live camera and broadcast equipment belonging to the Associated Press showing the northern Gaza Strip. 

“Today’s outrageous move also blocks AP from providing crucial images of northern Gaza to all other media outlets around the world,” the nonprofit group representing journalists said.

“Israel’s move today is a slippery slope. Israel could block other international news agencies from providing live footage of Gaza. It also could allow Israel to block media coverage of virtually any news event on vague security grounds,” it continued.

The group added: “Israel’s record on press freedom already has been dismal throughout the war. For the entire conflict, it has prevented independent access to Gaza for foreign journalists. Now it has taken another step backward away from the democratic ideals it claims to uphold.”

“After having banned Al Jazeera, Israel is lashing out at the AP,” it said in a statement. “RSF denounces the seizure of the news outlet’s camera and the interruption of the continuous feed that films Gaza under the pretext that these images are supplying, among others, Al Jazeera.”

“This is not Al Jazeera, this is an American media outlet that has won 53 Pulitzer Prizes,” he said in a statement. “This government behaves as if it has decided to make sure at any cost that Israel will be outcast all over the world. They went mad.”