Journalist fired after asking EU if principles for Russia also apply to Israel

The Rome-based news agency Nova has terminated the employment of its reporter, Gabriele Nunziati, who asked a European Commission official, “Why shouldn’t Israel pay for the reconstruction of Gaza?”

Nunziati, who covers the European Union agenda, said in a statement that he received notification he would lose his job just one month after starting as a reporter.

“I received an email from my news agency informing me of their intention to terminate our collaboration,” Nunziati said.

This development, first reported by the Italian news site Fanpage, began on October 13 when Nunziati asked one of the European Commission’s lead spokespersons, Paula Pinho, a question about the reconstruction of Gaza.

At the press conference, Nunziati asked, “You have repeatedly stated that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe that Israel should also pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, since it has destroyed almost all of its civilian infrastructure?”

Pinho responded to the question by saying, “It’s certainly an interesting question; I will have no comment on this.”

A video recording of this exchange spread rapidly, a rare occurrence for European Commission press conferences, and Nunziati became the center of attention.

According to a report by The Intercept, Nunziati described the process as follows:

“The video was republished by many media outlets and it really blew up. A few people even contacted me saying, ‘I saw you on Instagram!’ Two weeks later, on October 27, I received an email from my news agency informing me that they planned to terminate our collaboration.”

According to agency employees, Nova frequently hires staff on “collaboration” contracts that often include non-disclosure agreements and offer limited job security.

Nunziati stated that in the two-week period between asking the question and receiving the termination notice, he received two “tense” phone calls from his superiors at Nova, but he declined to comment further.

The agency’s justification: ‘A technically incorrect question’

Nova’s spokesperson, Francesco Civita, confirmed that they terminated their relationship with Nunziati because of the Gaza question. Civita stated that Nunziati was fired for asking a “technically incorrect” question.

Civita said that the difference between the positions of Russia and Israel was “repeatedly explained” to Nunziati, but he “completely failed to grasp the fundamental and formal difference between the situations.”

Civita added, “Furthermore, by insisting that the question was correct, he showed his ignorance of the fundamental principles of international law. Even worse, the video of his question was picked up and reshared by Russian nationalist Telegram channels and media outlets linked to political Islam with an anti-European agenda, putting the agency in a difficult position.”

Reaction to the decision in Italy

Anna Laura Orrico, an Italian member of parliament from the Five Star Movement, condemned the decision to fire Nunziati in a statement to the Italian press.

“If what has been reported reflects the facts, it would be simply shameful for a media organization to make such a decision,” Orrico said.

Another Nova employee, who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity for their safety, said that Nunziati’s situation is “only the visible part of the Italian censorship that journalists are subjected to regarding Israel.”

The same journalist stated, “Gabriele was fired for asking the European Commission an uncomfortable question. The atmosphere was very tense in the following days.”

The Nova employee added that after Nunziati’s dismissal, “all the journalists on the editorial board fell silent.”

Many journalists in the West have lost their jobs for asking challenging questions or making critical comments about Israel’s war in Gaza.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 240 journalists have been killed in Gaza, dozens have been injured, and nearly a hundred have been imprisoned by Israel.