BBC in urgent plea for journalists' lives as they face starving to death in Gaza

Four of the world’s leading news organisations, including the BBC, have raised the alarm over the few journalists covering the Gaza crisis starving.

They say they are “desperately concerned” that their reporters are increasingly at risk because of the impossibility of finding food in the war-torn territory. News of the food scarcity danger facing reporters risking their lives in Gaza broke as top U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was to meet with key Middle East negotiatorsfor ceasefire talks.

A joint statement by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the BBC warned: "We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza.

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“They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering." The statement called on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza and allow adequate food supplies into the territory.

It came a day after more than 100 charity and human rights groups said that Israel's ongoing military offensive is pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation. Al-Jazeera TV, which has a large team of journalists reporting from Gaza, said hospitals in the Strip have recorded two more deaths “due to famine and malnutrition ” in the past 24 hours.

That was based on a claim from the territory’s Health Ministry. It says that brings the total who have died from lack of food to at least 113.

Reporting from Gaza has become increasingly hazardous for journalists and Israel has not allowed foreign press into the war-zone. It is now known as one of the most dangerous places in the world to report from. Bilal Jadallah, one of Gaza’s most senior journalists and who had worked with and visited the Daily Mirror in London was killed within weeks of the war starting.

He was said to have been driving his car when he was targeted by an Israeli missile. Bilal had worked alongside the Mirror during reporting assignments inside Gaza and ran the Gaza Press House, a centre for the Strip’s journalists.

Since then The Committee to Protect Journalists has counted 178 reporters who have been killed in Gaza. On Thursday, Hamas confirmed it had sent its latest ceasefire proposal to Israel, with an Israeli official calling it "workable," although no details were provided.

Israel's war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children.

Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza independently throughout the 21-month war. Top U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to head to Italy on Thursday to meet top Israeli negotiator Ron Dermer and discuss the ceasefire deal on the table, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.