Italian reporter terminated after questioning Israeli role in Gaza reconstruction
An Italian journalist and Brussels-based correspondent for Rome’s Nova news agency has been released from his contract after posing a direct question to a European Commission official regarding who should bear the costs of reconstruction in Gaza.
Gabriele Nunziati received the notice of termination barely one month after beginning his role as correspondent.
Speaking to The Intercept, Nunziati, who was working under a contractor agreement, recounted the abrupt end of his collaboration, stating, “I received an email from my news agency telling me that they intended to stop our collaboration.”
This action, first reported by the Italian news website Fanpage, followed a press conference on October 13 where Nunziati directed a query to Paula Pinho, the European Commission’s chief spokesperson.
During the press briefing, Nunziati drew a comparison between the EU's position on Russian accountability in Ukraine and the situation in Gaza.
He asked, “You’ve been repeating several times that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe that Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza since they have destroyed almost all its civilian infrastructure?”
Pinho did not offer comment, replying only that it was “definitely an interesting question, on which I would not have any comment.”
A clip of the exchange went viral, leading to immediate attention for Nunziati.
He noted that the video “was republished by several media outlets, and it got really huge.”
He added, “I was even contacted by several people saying, ‘I saw you on Insta!’ Two weeks later, on October 27, I received an email from my news agency telling me that they intended to stop our collaboration.”
Francesco Civita, a spokesperson for Nova, confirmed to The Intercept that the news agency had ended its relationship with Nunziati, citing his question on Gaza as the reason.
Civita maintained that the journalist was dismissed for asking a question that was “technically incorrect.”
The termination drew public criticism from political figures.
Anna Laura Orrico, a member of the Italian Parliament's Five Star Movement, publicly denounced the decision, stating, “If the story corresponds to the facts, it would be simply shameful for a media outlet to make such a decision.”
An anonymous Nova journalist, who spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity, characterized Nunziati’s dismissal as “the tip of the iceberg of Italian censorship to which journalists are subjected” regarding Israel.
This source stated that “Gabriele was fired because he asked an uncomfortable question to the European Commission.”
They also noted that following the incident, “all the journalists in the editorial office became silent” as the atmosphere was “very tense.”