Last month, however, the Israeli Supreme Court set January 4 as a final deadline for the government to present a plan for allowing media access to Gaza.

In its submission, the government maintained that the ban should remain in place “for security reasons”.

The submission was in response to a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) -- which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and Palestinian territories -- seeking immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip.

"The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government's latest response to our appeal for full and free access to the Gaza Strip," the association said on Tuesday.

"Instead of presenting a plan for allowing journalists into Gaza independently and letting us work alongside our brave Palestinian colleagues, the government has decided once again to lock us out" despite the ceasefire in the territory, it added.

Since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, the government has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.

The FPA filed its petition in 2024, after which the court granted the government several extensions to submit its response.

A report by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate on Monday stated that Israeli forces killed 256 journalists during the two years of the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza.

The FPA said it planned to submit a "robust response" to the court, and expressed hope the "judges will put an end to this charade."

"The FPA is confident that the court will provide justice in light of the continuous infringement of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech, the public's right to know and free press," the association added.

The Israeli Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.

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