War reporters are crucial to report Gaza’s true horror

Martha Gellhorn, the legendary American war correspondent, had little faith in the power of her writing to change the sometimes wretched lives of those she encountered.

Indeed, she said that journalists had but one redeeming role to play: "If he can do nothing positive, to make the world more liveable or less cruel or stupid, he can at least record truly, and that is something no one else will do, and it a job that must be done. It is the only revenge that all the bastardised people will ever get: that somebody writes down clearly what happened to them".

One could never accuse her of hypocrisy. Gellhorn reported compulsively, continuing to write well into her eighties, even as she progressively lost her sight. Her career spanned five decades, encompassing the Spanish Civil War and Vietnam, as well as various Central American conflicts. She was one of the first to report on the horror of Dachau after its liberation.

Israel has won the PR war; at best Hamas has managed one article in the Guardian

Her words are just as pertinent today. As the escalation between Israeli forces and Hamas continues without the watchful eye of the international press pack, her belief in the importance of someone "writing down clearly what happened to them" is at stake.

There are journalists inside Gaza, notably from Al-Jazeera, but Israel's refusal to allow the press inside to report fully on conditions for civilians is preventing the proper scrutiny of events. The effect of this is twofold.

Firstly, we simply do not know what is happening inside Gaza at any one time. We are ignorant, for example, of the reasons for the bombing of a UN school packed with civilians which left 40 dead. The rumours of a text message which indicated Hamas leaders were hiding out in the building show that hearsay is not an excuse when the phrase 'war crimes' is being used by the UN.

Brave journalists who are willing to put their own safety at risk to tell the world what is really going on in Gaza cannot do their job, ostensibly over concerns about safety.

The Israelis are of course aware that war zones are always dangerous, and that danger is clearly not the first priority of the Jeremy Bowens and Kate Adies of this world, for whom reporting the facts amid hazardous conditions is a right and a privilege.

Secondly, Israel's blockade on information has led to skewed coverage of both sides. The Israelis have had statements from