We understand that this does not constitute a breach of the core pillars of responsible journalism; however, in the interest of accuracy, and in light of the international legal consensus regarding Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, we kindly ask that you amend the article by replacing “critics” with language that reflects the weight of international legal and human rights consensus, including UN experts.
To the Toronto Star and Associated Press,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding the Associated Press article published by Toronto Star on April 30, 2026 titled: “Activists say Israeli forces intercepted Gaza aid flotilla near Crete, detaining crews.”
Despite the article being overall balanced, my main concern lies with the following paragraph: “Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s Palestinian population.”
The phrasing here is misleading. The characterization of Israel’s blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip is supported by authoritative international bodies, not critics. Framing it this way reduces established international legal conclusions to the level of subjective criticism.
United Nations experts have repeatedly stated that Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, compounded by ongoing military aggressions involving war crimes and crimes against humanity, has made the Gaza Strip “unliveable,” creating conditions for genocide - deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part.
In 2012, 50 international aid agencies, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and Oxfam, released a statement calling on Israel to lift its illegal siege and blockade: “For over five years in Gaza, more than 1.6 million people have been under blockade in violation of international law. More than half of these people are children. We the undersigned say with one voice: ‘end the blockade now.’”
In 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 condemned Israel’s blockade as illegal, stating: “As a form of collective punishment imposed upon an entire population, the blockade is contrary to international law.”
We understand that this does not constitute a breach of the core pillars of responsible journalism; however, in the interest of accuracy, and in light of the international legal consensus regarding Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, we kindly ask that you amend the article by replacing “critics” with language that reflects the weight of international legal and human rights consensus, including UN experts.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Lynn Naji
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East