By Rachel Cadman
I second your editorial “The Only Way To Know: Let The Journalists In.” It is crucial that journalists be allowed in to investigate the situation on the ground in Gaza. Israel should immediately permit the entry of the foreign press, something that should have happened from the beginning. By keeping out the media, the Israeli government may be gambling that once journalists finally do get in, the world attention will be focused elsewhere. But it is in the best interest of all involved to have the press covering events on the ground fully and immediately. Finally, despite the closure, there are several very dedicated BBC and Al Jazeera reporters who were already in Gaza before the Israeli invasion. They are doing an excellent job under the circumstances. Therefore there are some things that we do know. Since Dec. 27, over 1,180 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army, half of whom were civilians, including over 350 children. U.N. schools sheltering civilians have been shelled on several occasions; U.N. aid workers and paramedics have been killed; three hospitals and the U.N. compound were bombed, destroying tens of millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid. The Israeli army had the exact coordinates of these buildings and bombed them anyway. This is why the Red Cross, the U.N., and Human Rights Watch are all saying that Israel may be committing serious war crimes in Gaza. Yes, we need journalists in there ASAP, but there are some sources we can look to right now.
