One and a half million citizens of Gaza have been suffering under an atrocious siege imposed by the Israeli occupation and supported by its allies in Europe and the United States. The siege of Gaza and the continuous sanctions against its residents, most of whom are refugees, have caused untold misery to Palestinians who have been suffering from a brutal occupation and oppression for decades.

This latest deprivation of the most basic needs of Gaza's impoverished citizens is being portrayed in the British media as part of Israel's retaliation to continuous firing of rockets into Israel from Gaza, disgracefully buying into Israeli propaganda to hide its brutality levelled against the entire population of Gaza by imposing a system of collective punishment in violation and breach of all international conventions and standards. Whether by ignorance or by design, it is sad to see how the British media including the BBC have failed to highlight the real causes behind the current crisis and the devastating impact of this criminal and inhumane siege on human lives in Gaza over recent weeks.

On a day which is compared to the fall of Berlin wall when the people of Gaza at the height of their suffering decided to break the siege by breaking through border crossing points in Rafah, our media have chosen to totally ignore this historic event in the continuing Middle East crisis.

When the sad death of a Hollywood actor grabs the main headlines and attracts significant airtime throughout our media, it is reprehensible that the plight of millions, including hundreds of thousands of children suffering at the hands of a tyrannical government in Israel, is not even offered a second-rate spot.

We, the undersigned, urge our media to stand up for the highest standards of reporting it has adopted for decades and to be fair-handed, impartial and balanced in covering the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.