Rachel Shabi Defends Gaza Journalists Reporting, Blasts Israel For Obstructing International Media Access [Video]

Journalist Rachel Shabi accused Israel of wanting to carry out its “operations in the dark” during a heated Sky News exchange over verifying death toll numbers sourced from on-the-ground authorities and a decision by the country’s Supreme Court to refuse international journalists entry to Gaza.

Shabi appeared on Sky News across from fellow guest lawyer Natasha Hausdorff, director of UK Lawyers for Israel, who began by arguing that Gaza was not safe for journalists but also that casualty data from Gaza-based journalists was unreliable and merely “parroting Hamas propaganda.”

Sky News host Yalda Hakim began by asking Hausdroff whether international media organisations “should be given access” furthering that “the whole point of it is that we bear witness and see what’s going on so we can report for ourselves.”

The lawyer replied: “We’ve just heard confirmation in that interview that journalists have had levels of access. We’ve seen [BBC International Editor] Jeremy Bowenreporting. …