The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents international media working in Israel and Palestine, says it’s shocked and disappointed that Israel continues to ban journalists nine months into the bombardment, Al Jazeera reports.

“Never before has Israel enforced such a long and strict information blackout. It has repeatedly rejected our appeals for access, fought us in court to uphold this draconian ban, and offered just a handful of highly controlled ‘embed’ opportunities for a small number of our members,” it said in a statement.

The association said local journalists in Gaza continue to face unprecedented threats and movement restrictions “as they courageously try to cover this story”.

“It raises questions about what Israel doesn’t want international journalists to see,” the group said, reiterating its call for Israeli authorities to allow unfettered and independent access to Gaza.