Israel has resisted calls to lift near-total ban on international journalists entering the enclave LONDON: The US Department of State has called on Israeli authorities to grant unrestricted access in Gaza to international journalists seeking to cover the conflict. The appeal marks the strongest rebuke yet from the Biden administration regarding media access in the region. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters: “We think journalists ought to be able to cover the war in Gaza; that includes journalists from outside Gaza. “A lot of what the world knows is happening in Gaza is precisely, as you point out, it’s because of the work that journalists do, sometimes with incredibly tragic consequences. “We support that work and we want to see it continue and we think that ought to be allowed in Gaza.” Israel has been imposing a near-total ban on international journalists entering Gaza since the conflict began in October, forcing news agencies to rely on local media workers. There have been few exceptions to this rule, although some journalists have been permitted entry under the direct supervision of the Israeli military. Several media organizations and advocacy groups have consistently called for the ban to be lifted. Nine media advocacy groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and ARTICLE 19, appealed to the International Court of Justice in May for unimpeded media access to Gaza. Israel has been conducting a repressive campaign against media workers and organizations since Oct. 7, while resisting international criticism. At least 108 journalists and media workers have been killed in the conflict, the vast majority of them Palestinians. Some 49 journalists remain in Israeli custody, including four female reporters, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society. Israel has been accused of deliberately targeting journalists during the conflict in some cases, which experts suggest could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.