Israel's Foreign Press Association (FPA) slammed Wednesday what it called "harassment and intimidation" of journalists in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, and called on the Islamist group to respect the freedom of the press, dpa reported.
In a statement the FPA, which represents foreign correspondents working in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said that on Monday, Hamas agents "violently" broke up a demonstration in Gaza City, detained a cameraman who filmed the incident and confiscated his footage.
"This was just the latest in a disturbing pattern of harassment and intimidation of journalists by Hamas," the FPA statement said.
"Unfortunately, our past appeals for press freedom have repeatedly been ignored by Hamas. We again demand that Hamas allow journalists to do their work and respect the basic right of freedom of the press. Continued harassment will affect coverage of the story," the FPA said.