RAMALLAH, October 5, 2011 (WAFA) - Reporters Without Borders expressed worries that the Hamas interior ministry’s adoption of new rules for foreign journalists will restrict their access to the Gaza Strip, said a press release on Wednesday.

It said that under the new rules, adopted on September 25, every foreign journalist wanting to visit the Gaza Strip will have to apply in advance to the interior ministry in Gaza, and processing the application could take several days.

Reporters Without Borders considered the new rules to restrict journalists’ freedom of movement and complicate covering the Gaza Strip even more. It urged the authorities to rescind the decision and facilitate the international media’s access to the Gaza Strip.

Following the murder of the Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni by an armed group in April, which has heightened concern about the safety of foreigners in the Gaza Strip, Hamas government said the new measures were needed for security and control purposes, said the press release.

It clarified that journalists submitting applications  to enter Gaza will have to include a photocopy of their passport and ID photos, and will have to name a “guarantor” in the Gaza Strip.

They will also have to enter the territory via Gaza because, as deputy interior minister Kamel Abu Madhi announced, the Rafah and Erez crossings have been closed, added the press release.

It said members of the Foreign Press Association nonetheless voiced a degree of optimism after a meeting yesterday with the head of the Hamas press office, Hassan Abu Hashish. Some said the need for initial authorization and the waiting period could mean that journalists would be able to get accreditation valid for a year.

R.Q./F.J.