.
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
THE CRADLE NEWS DESK
NOV 5, 2025
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.
(Photo credit: ODG)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?”
Journalist: “You’ve said that Russia should repay for reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe Israel should repay for reconstruction of Gaza?”
EU chief spokesperson: “I have no comment at this stage.”#FreePalestine #LE7EL #EşSan pic.twitter.com/v6lkAVzXY1— Niamh McDonagh (@niamh_mc_93) October 15, 2025
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 Post reported.
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.”
Source
************
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply