The ongoing Israel Defense Forces campaign against Iranian-backed terrorist organizations on the Jewish state’s southern and northern borders is the country’s most highly-covered war since 1948, the Government Press Office said on Tuesday.
Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border massacre, Jerusalem has issued 5,530 press passes to reporters, photographers and other media personnel, the government agency declared in a statement.
The GPO pass, much like those in other countries, facilitates journalists’ entry to closed press conferences, courts and other official institutions.
“The leading countries in sending journalists to cover the war are the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, which together constitute almost 60% of the journalists,” said GPO Director Nitzan Chen. “There were also countries that cover Israel less frequently, such as Romania, Ukraine, Argentina, Nepal and Singapore, that have sent journalists to Israel,” he added.
“The GPO will continue to be here for every challenge and every mission. We are committed to protecting the truth and telling Israel’s story, in every language, in every place and at any time,” said Chen.
Almost a quarter of all reporters who arrived following the outbreak of the war came from the United States, with 1,221 new GPO cards issued, followed by the United Kingdom (985), France (647), Germany (314), Turkey (278), Japan (255), Italy (253), Spain (191), Canada (122) and Switzerland (101).
The outlets that sent the most journalists were the British Broadcasting Corporation (425 GPO cards), NBC News (207), CNN (196), CBS (183), Italian broadcaster RAI (162 cards), Sky News (149) and Reuters (130).
The GPO has also organized almost 100 tours and events since the start of the war, as well as screenings of the film documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
Thousands of foreign journalists participated in the tours, the GPO stated, which mainly encompassed places like Sderot, the kibbutzim of Kfar Aza, Be’eri and Nir Oz, Netiv HaAsara and the site of the Nova festival.
The GPO is situated in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office alongside the country’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate.
