Within hours of Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, I traveled with my team to Israel to take stock of the aftermath. We visited Beeri kibbutz, where the blood of nearly 100 victims was still smeared on the floor, and the site of the Tribe of Nova trance music festival, littered with the belongings of those who had fled for their lives. We interviewed the wounded and the grieving, including family members of the hostages held in Gaza. Walking along the border area where Hamas militants had poured into Israel, we came under heavy rocket fire. All of this contributed to our ability to create a vivid picture of the monstrosities of Oct. 7.

We must now be able to report on the death and destruction being meted out in Gaza in the same way — on the ground, independently — amid one of the most intense bombardments in the history of modern warfare. And yet international journalists have been barred from entering Gaza without an escort from the Israel Defense Forces, even as criticism of the devastation brought by Israeli’s retaliation continues to mount.

Last month, we became the only Western journalists to gain access to Gaza without the IDF, during a one-off trip facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. We had only two hours on the ground. Two hours to cover more than two months of relentless bombing. During this brief time, we met children who had been maimed and orphaned being treated at a UAE-run field hospital. After an Israeli strike hit nearby, we were in the operating room as the casualties arrived. We drove past the rubble from recent bombing and watched people lining up at a bakery for food. Our trip provided a window into the war zone, but only a small one.

I have been covering conflicts for nearly 20 years, having reported from wars, uprisings and coups in Syria, Iraq, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Russia, Egypt, Ukraine, Yemen and China. In every case, all sides have attempted to shape reporting in the service of a desired narrative. Often, strenuous efforts are made to prevent outside and independent journalists from entering the conflict zone at all.

This month, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition from the Foreign Press Association for access to Gaza because of “security concerns.” Israeli officials have cited these concerns again and again to block international journalists’ entry to Gaza. Egypt, too, has stopped journalists from crossing its border into the territory, insisting that nothing and no one can go in without Israel’s permission.

In November, CNN and 10 other Western media outlets, including The Post, appealed to Israeli and Egyptian authorities for access to Gaza, proposing to assume full responsibility for the security of their reporting teams on the ground and highlighting their many years of experience operating in hostile environments. Their letter went unanswered.

The response to our report on Gaza in Israeli media suggests an unspoken reason for denying access. When asked on air about our piece, one reporter from the Israeli Channel 13 replied, “If indeed Western reporters begin to enter Gaza, this will for sure be a big headache for Israel and Israeli hasbara.” Hasbara is a Hebrew word for pro-Israel advocacy.

It’s not that the world can’t see what’s happening in Gaza. Our airwaves and social media feeds have been inundated with harrowing images and videos captured by the courageous journalists living there. They have risked everything to document the situation on the ground and have paid a high price for doing so. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 76 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza so far.

But Gaza’s journalists should not be left to cover this war alone. In a conflict where information has been weaponized, international journalists can add an invaluable perspective.

As a democracy with a vibrant free press, Israel, like the U.S., purports to hold itself to high standards. The freedom to report the news is not only a cornerstone of democracy, but also a fundamental human right. According to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” should be protected. Barring international media from a conflict or indeed any other event is a dangerous precedent. Journalists must be able to exercise our duty to bear witness, no matter how difficult or dangerous that might be.