Latest on media exclusion from Gaza Strip

12 Jan 10:00 - Iranian TV employees held for two more days in Jerusalem

A judge in Jerusalem yesterday ordered Khodr Shaheen, the correspondent of the Iranian Arabic-language TV station Al-Alam, and his assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, detained for another two days while the police prepare an indictment against them for "state security" violations. They were arrested on 5 January in Jerusalem for violating censorship rules.

10 Jan 19:00 - Radio journalist killed as Israeli bombardment hits journalists' houses and buildings housing media in the past 24 hours

Journalist Ala Mortaji died last evening from his injuries received when his house was hit by fire from an Israeli tank earlier in the day during an assault on the Zaitoun district. He was working in the Gaza Strip for a local radio. The house of another local journalist, Samir Khalifah, was also hit.

The al-Johara tower, housing around 20 media and productions studios, was also hit yesterday evening by Israeli rocket fire, injuring two journalists from Iranian national television al-Alam and putting all the organisations out of action. An Israeli military spokesman said that the building had not been targeted but had suffered "collateral damage".

10 Jan 12:00 - Police violence against Al-Jazeera crew during Gaza protest in Amman

Al-Jazeera's Amman correspondent, Yasser Abou Hlaleh, was hit by police during clashes in the Jordanian capital yesterday between riot police and a large crowd of demonstrators who were prevented from marching on the Israeli embassy to protest against Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip. The Al-Jazeera cameraman's camera and mobile phone were confiscated while the cameraman herself was injured and had to be hospitalised.

Reporters Without Borders regrets that Hocine Ben Rabie, a reporter with the Arabic-language daily Ennahar, sustained serious head injuries in unclear circumstances during a similar pro-Palestinian demonstration in Algiers yesterday. He was taken to the Mustapha Pacha hospital in the city centre where he was reported to be in a serious condition and underwent an operation.

9 Jan - 17:45 - France 24 correspondent in Gaza tells about his life conditions and the difficult exercise of his work

09 Jan 14:00 - Palestinian journalist killed in Gaza bombing

A Palestinian journalist, Ihab el-Wahidi el-Baligh, was killed in an Israeli bombardment yesterday while paying his family a brief visit at their home in the southwestern outskirts of Gaza City. His wife and his father-in-law were also killed. Aged 32, Baligh worked as a cameraman for Filastine, the Palestinian Authority's official TV station, often covering the activities of President Mahmoud Abbas. Reporters Without Borders condemns all the military operations in which journalists have been killed or injured. The death toll from Operation "Cast Lead," which was launched on 27 December, today reached 785.

8 Jan 16:30 - Israeli human rights NGOs create joint Gaza blog

Israeli human rights organisations have created a joint blog to inform the Israeli public about the impact on civilians of the fighting in Gaza and Israel.

Reporters Without Borders invites you to take a look : http://gazaeng.blogspot.com/

8 Jan 10:30 - Israel lets four journalists into Gaza Strip

The Israeli Foreign Press Assocation has told Reporters Without Borders that the Israel Defence Forces allowed a BBC cameraman and three Israeli journalists to enter the Gaza Strip yesterday evening. The four journalists accompanied an IDF unit and were obliged to return after several hours. They were limited to covering the activities of the soldiers they accompanied, and their movements were restricted. The IDF made no announcement about this granting of limited media access. The FPA said it was the first time in two years that Israeli journalists have been allowed to cross into the Gaza Strip.

7 Jan 15:30 - Palestinian cameraman dies of injuries received in Gaza air strike

Reporters Without Borders is saddened by the news that Bassel Faraj, a Palestinian cameraman who worked for Algerian television station TV Algérie, died yesterday from the injuries he received while covering Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip on 27 December.

Faraj sustained head injuries when a shell exploded and was unconscious when he was taken to a hospital. Three other media personnel - Mohammed al-Tanani, Mohammed Madi and Khaled Abu Shamal - were injured by the same shell and were also hospitalised but they have all since been discharged.

Reporters Without Borders offers its condolences to the Faraj family and its support for all the journalists and media personnel working in the Gaza Strip in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions.

6 Jan 17:30 - Two media personnel arrested in Jerusalem

According to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, soldiers arrested Khodr Shahine, the correspondent of the Iranian TV station Al-Alam, and his assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, yesterday in Jerusalem, where they are residents. They were taken to Petah Tiqva (near Tel Aviv) for interrogation and were brought today before a military judge who ordered them held for another six days. Their lawyer was not able to visit them. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is planning to stage a demonstration at noon tomorrow in Ramallah in protest at their arrest.

6 Jan 15:30 - Fuel shortage could cut us off within 48 hours, Palestinian news agency chief says

Palestinian media personnel spoke to Reporters Without Borders today by telephone about the problems being encountered by their reporters in the Gaza Strip. "One of our biggest problems is getting about within the territory," Ma'an news agency executive director Raed Othman said.

"As regards their personal safety, most of the journalists prefer not to wear bullet-proof vests for fear of becoming targets," Othman continued. "There is also a problem with sources. Both sides, Israel and Hamas, have activated their propaganda machines, which makes it hard to verify information. In the absence of independent sources, rumours and informal networks are growing. Many people based in Gaza continue to post blog entries."

Wafa news agency journalist Khader Moussa told Reporters Without Borders : "Power cuts and phone line cuts are frequent. Most of our correspondents are forced to go to their offices to take advantage of the few power sources available, although many would rather stay at home and not risk being killed on the road."

Othman added : "For the time being, electronic devices are functioning thanks to generators, but fuel could run out within 48 hours if the situation is not resolved before then, and this could cut us off from the rest of the world."

6 Jan 09:00 - International media at Gaza's gates

As a result of the closure of the border crossings by the Israeli authorities, international media personnel continue to be excluded from the Gaza Strip, where the military operations are taking place.

Many western media reporters are covering events from the border, from where they can see the effects of the air strikes and the fighting from a distance.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which groups foreign journalists based in Israel, appealed to the Israeli supreme court on 31 December for 12 journalists to be allowed into the Gaza Strip when the borders crossings were opened to let humanitarian aid in. The supreme court ruled in favour of the FPA request but the border has continued to be closed for the media.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it would not be able to keep the border crossings permanently open for security reasons, because the crossings could become targets for Hamas rockets. The IDF and the FPA have also not yet agreed on the list of journalists who would be allowed into the Gaza Strip.

Several international news agencies nonetheless have personnel in the Gaza Strip. They include Reuters and AFP, which employ Palestinian reporters and photographers.

Several independent Palestinian news agencies such as Ramattan (http://www.ramattan.com/) and Ma'an (http://www.maannews.net/) are feeding news reports and video footage to the foreign media including the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera and the US television news network CNN.

For the time being, Reporters Without Borders is not aware of any casualties among the Palestinian journalists working in the Gaza Strip.