Italian news agency fires reporter for questioning EU officials over Gaza
The dismissal has sparked outrage in Italy, with journalists and lawmakers condemning it as an attack on press freedom
Italian news agency Agenzia Nova has fired reporter Gabriele Nunziati after he questioned an EU spokesperson whether Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, like Brussels has demanded of Russia in Ukraine, according to reports on Italian media on 5 November.
During a 13 October press conference in Brussels, Nunziati asked European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho: “You have been repeating several times that Russia should repay for the construction of Ukraine. Do you believe Israel should repay for the reconstruction of Gaza, since they destroyed almost all of the strip and civilian infrastructure?”
Pinho replied that it was “definitely an interesting question on which I would not have any comment at this stage.”
Two weeks later, on 27 October, Nunziati received a termination letter from Agenzia Nova.
He told Fanpage that in the days following the exchange, his employers made several “quite tense” phone calls.
The video of his question soon spread widely online, shared by users who highlighted what they saw as the EU’s double standards between Gaza and Ukraine, Il Postreported.
In a written response to Fanpage, Agenzia Nova confirmed the dismissal, claiming Nunziati’s question was “completely out of place and technically incorrect” because Russia “invaded a country” while Israel “suffered armed aggression,” referring to the events of 7 October 2023.
The agency said the video had been reposted by “Russian nationalist Telegram channels and media outlets linked to political Islam with an anti-European agenda,” causing “embarrassment for the agency.”
The National Council of the Italian Journalists Guild (ODG) condemned the firing, saying “you cannot in fact be fired for asking a question,” and called for Nunziati’s reinstatement.
The guild emphasized that journalists must be free to ask “uncomfortable or unwelcome” questions without fear of retaliation.
Sandro Ruotolo, a member of the European Parliament for the opposition Democratic Party (PD), described the dismissal as “a very serious matter that should alarm anyone who cares about press freedom.”
He said the case “raises profound questions about the state of journalism and the climate of pressure that weighs on those who simply try to do their job: holding those in power to account,” adding that “there is no such thing as a wrong question.”
Nicola Fratoianni, leader of Sinistra Italiana and co-leader of the Green-Left Alliance (AVS), called the move “a disconcerting and serious matter” and said parliament must hold the agency accountable.
He urged Agenzia Nova to reverse its decision, saying Italy “needs journalists with a straight back, journalists who ask questions.”