During a hearing before the Supreme Court on 23 October – in which RSF participated as an interested party having contributed an amicus brief in the petition by the Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association (FPA) – the Israeli government acknowledged that the ceasefire constituted a significant change in circumstances justifying a review of its policy on journalists’ access.

The court ordered the Israeli government to present a clear position on its blockade in light of the new circumstances but granted it another 30 days to do this, despite the urgency of the situation and although the Israeli government has already benefited from six postponements since the start of these proceedings.

“If the blockade preventing journalists from entering Gaza was already illegal and seriously violated the fundamental right to information of the Palestinian, Israeli, and international public, it is now totally unjustifiable. RSF deplores the Supreme Court's decision to give the Israeli government 30 days to reach this obvious conclusion, and calls on the Israeli government to open Gaza's borders to journalists immediately and without conditions.

Israel has closed off Gaza and denied external journalists’ independent access to the besieged territory since 7 October 2023. To counter this ban, RSF has joined the FPA’s petition for the Gaza Strip's borders to be opened to independent entry by journalists, and filed an amicus brief with the Israeli Supreme Court on 15 October that is designed to help the judges understand the FPA's position.