German journalist reveals Israeli media censorship on reporting military losses during Iran strikes

A German journalist reporting from Israel revealed that the press was barred from covering Iranian retaliatory attacks on Israeli military targets. She stated that Israeli authorities only permitted coverage of civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.

Sophie, who covers Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, spoke about the challenges journalists have faced during the recent war. She explained that reporters were restricted from filming or reporting attacks on military installations and were compelled to find the nearest shelters or navigate strict censorship guidelines.

 “We are only allowed to film and report if civilian targets were hit, residential buildings, for example,” she said. “But if military or strategic targets were hit, we’re not allowed to report unless we receive approval from the military censor.”

Read: Iran hits five Israeli-occupied cities, Israel bombs Fordow nuclear facility

She added that Israeli officials justified the censorship by saying such information should not be exposed to Iran.

A German journalist embedded in “Israel” just confessed that Zionist authorities forbade them from filming or reporting Iranian missile impacts on military and strategic targets. Only civilian damage was permitted to be shown. She works for ARD, Germany’s national broadcaster… pic.twitter.com/oFwglhJSnY

— Thomas Keith (@iwasnevrhere_) June 24, 2025

Sophie noted that this selective reporting creates the misleading impression that Iran only targeted civilians during the conflict.

She also pointed out that Israel has barred journalists "from entering Gaza independently since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attack.”

According to Sophie, foreign journalists are also not allowed to report near the Egyptian border. As a result, they must rely on local Palestinian journalists, who often risk their lives to report developments on the ground.