An aerial view of the Gaza Port, November 4, 2025. © Mohammed Eslayeh / Anadolu via Getty Images
An Italian journalist was dismissed after questioning an EU official about whether Israel should fund Gaza’s reconstruction, drawing accusations of hypocrisy over the bloc’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Gabriele Nunziati, a contributor with the Italian news agency Nova, posed the query to EC spokeswoman Paula Pinho during a mid-October press briefing. “You’ve been repeating several times that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” Nunziati asked. “Do you believe that Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza since they have destroyed almost all its civilian infrastructure?”
Pinho responded that the question was “definitely an interesting one, on which I would not have any comment.” A video of the exchange sparked debate over perceived inconsistencies in EU policies. Ten days later, Nova terminated Nunziati’s collaboration, with Italian media reporting the decision followed tense discussions with his superiors.
Nunziati told Fanpage that his editors provided no formal explanation for the move. The agency later stated his question had “embarrassed” the organization and argued Palestinians could not seek reparations from Israel because it was a victim of “aggression.”
The EU has repeatedly demanded Russia finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, citing its 2022 invasion as an “unprovoked” attack. Moscow disputes this, blaming NATO’s expansion for the conflict. Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized the EU’s inaction on Israel’s actions in Gaza, a stance condemned by Israeli officials as an “anti-Israel crusade.”
The Italian National Press Federation denounced Nunziati’s dismissal, calling it unacceptable to penalize a journalist for asking a question.
