Italian Journo Fired After Asking if “Israel” Should Rebuild Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

An Italian reporter has been dismissed from his position after daring to ask a pointed question about “Israel’s” responsibility for rebuilding the devastated Gaza Strip — a move that has sparked outrage over growing censorship in European media.

Gabriele Nunziati, a Brussels-based correspondent for Rome’s Nova news agency, was terminated barely a month into his role after he questioned the European Commission about whether “Israel” should bear the financial cost of Gaza’s reconstruction.

Speaking to The Intercept, Nunziati said he was abruptly informed via email that his collaboration with the outlet had ended. “I received an email from my news agency telling me that they intended to stop our collaboration,” he recalled.

The incident occurred during an October 13 press conference, when Nunziati drew a sharp comparison between the European Union’s position on Russian accountability in Ukraine and “Israel’s” destruction of Gaza. Addressing Paula Pinho, the European Commission’s chief spokesperson, 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 avoided the question, responding only that it was “definitely an interesting question, on which I would not have any comment.”

The exchange quickly went viral, gaining widespread attention on social media. “The video was republished by several media outlets, and it got really huge,” Nunziati said. “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 agency had terminated Nunziati’s contract, justifying the decision by calling his question “technically incorrect.”

The firing has drawn sharp condemnation from Italian lawmakers and journalists. Anna Laura Orrico, a member of Italy’s Five Star Movement, denounced the move as “simply shameful for a media outlet to make such a decision.”

An anonymous journalist from Nova told The Intercept that the dismissal reflects a wider culture of censorship in Italy regarding “Israel.” “Gabriele was fired because he asked an uncomfortable question to the European Commission,” the source said, describing the incident as “the tip of the iceberg of Italian censorship to which journalists are subjected.”

Following Nunziati’s termination, the source said, “all the journalists in the editorial office became silent” as the atmosphere turned “very tense.”

The episode underscores what critics describe as Europe’s growing intolerance toward dissenting voices who challenge the narrative surrounding “Israel’s” actions in Gaza — and the suppression of those who dare to hold power to account.