By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - Over five dozen US lawmakers called on US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday to push Israel into allowing international journalists to have "unimpeded" access to Gaza.
"We write to you with deep concern regarding the ongoing restrictions on media access to Gaza, which have persisted since the outbreak of hostilities one year ago," the group of 64 lawmakers led by Representative James McGovern wrote in a letter to the president and his top diplomat.
"It is imperative that the United States urge Israel to allow independent access for U.S. and international journalists, in the interest of transparency, accountability, and the fundamental principle of press freedom," they added.
The group of House lawmakers said Israel's restrictions "have created significant challenges in obtaining accurate, verifiable information from Gaza," and have undermined "the very foundation of press freedom and democratic accountability."
"We urge the administration to take immediate action to advocate for unrestricted, independent media access to Gaza. A free press is essential to ensuring that the world can bear witness to the realities on the ground and hold all parties accountable," they added.
The letter comes as Israel dramatically escalates its offensive on northern Gaza where dozens of Palestinian civilians were killed this weekend amid ongoing waves of mass displacement.
The Palestinian Civil Defense reported Monday that more than 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its offensive on the north 17 days ago.
“The bodies of dozens of dead people are still under the rubble and on the streets as civil defense teams can’t reach them,” spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu.
The dramatic escalation in Israel’s brutal onslaught comes as the Palestinian death toll exceeds over 42,600 people, mostly women and children, with injuries to 99,800 others since the war began last year.
Israel's invasion has displaced nearly the entirety of Gaza's pre-war population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel faces a case of genocide at the International Court of Justice brought by South Africa in the wake of its war.